Ruby Rewound
by Christopher28
Summary: Seeing Pyrrha die at the hands of Cinder Fall causes Ruby's silver eyes to activate, throwing her back in time to stand before her mother's grave. What will she do with her second chance?
1. Chapter 1

She and Weiss were fighting their way closer and closer to Beacon's central tower. Overhead, the enormous Grimm Wyvern slammed into the top, shattering the uppermost chamber, Ozpin's office, sending massive fragments of stone and steel crashing down all around the tower's base. The collapse killed some of the Grimm between them and the tower, and drove others away. Suddenly, there was an opening.

"We've gotta hurry!" Ruby yelled in frustration.

Weiss didn't hesitate, turning to the tower and gesturing with one hand, she created a series of velocity glyphs going up the side of the tower.

Turning back to Ruby, she nodded. "You can do this."

Ruby crouched to lower her center of gravity, then raced directly for the tower. Activating her semblance, she flew up to the first of the glyphs and re-materialized, her feet landing squarely on the spinning white snowflake. The young huntress raced up Beacon's central tower, Weiss's glyphs holding her feet to the wall and boosting her upwards as fast as she could sprint. She had seen flashes of flame from the tower, heard the thunder of metal on metal, now, all she could hear was her own heart pounding, blood rushing, lungs pumping. Even the Grimm Wyvern seemed to have gone silent, hanging from the tower now like some enormous bat.

Ruby leaped from the last glyph, coming down on the ruined floor of Ozpin's office in a crouch, hands and feet hitting the floor together. She looked up, looking for Pyrrha, and found the red haired Amazonian immediately. There was the sound of a bow string, and an arrow sprouted from Pyrrha's chest as if appearing there by magic. Ruby could barely understand what was happening. A woman... Cinder Fall, she thought, was holding a bow, which disappeared even as it fell from the woman's hand. Pyrrha choked feebly, reaching toward the arrow sticking out of the center of her chest, near her throat. A red light came from the wound, and Ruby watched in horror as the woman, Cinder, casually walked over to Pyrrha and put one hand against the side of Pyrrha's face, almost gently. There was a flash of heat, and a burst of flame, and Pyrrha simply... disintegrated, turning into glowing ash, and those ashes blowing away in a moment, leaving nothing behind but Pyrrha's tiara.

It wasn't possible. It couldn't be! On top of everything else that had happened, Pyrrha was dead. They'd promised Jaune that they'd save her, but they'd failed... and Cinder Fall... Cinder Fall had won.

The wave of despair that washed through her brought Ruby to her feet. Grief, loss, and pain filled her, and something else, a force, a power she'd never felt before, surged through her as well. Ruby threw her head back, howling out her anguish, and the world went away, vanishing in a wave of light so bright Ruby was certain she had gone blind. But somehow... she didn't care.

Everything went away, and Ruby knew no more.

Then, something changed, and she was aware of herself again. She lowered her head, blinking away tears, and looked down, but everything was wrong. She was no longer standing in Headmaster Ozpin's ruined office, but on the edge of a cliff, looking down at what was unmistakably her mother's gravesite.

It was cold, snow was on the ground, and, as Ruby looked around in confusion, there was no mistaking where she was. She was on the island of Patch, standing before her mother's grave. The words, 'Summer Rose, Thus Kindly I Scatter', engraved under the stylized rose symbol Ruby herself used as a personal sigil.

Ruby's hood had fallen back at some point, and she pulled it up over her face almost absently to shield herself from the cold. The automatic gesture calmed her just enough that she was able to take a shuddering ragged breath, feeling her heart pounding in her chest as a combination of terror, rage and renewed grief lashed through her body like a blizzard.

She stumbled slightly, then went to her knees once more, her hands falling to the ground. The thin layer of snow was shockingly cold against her hands, and she could feel the chill seeping into her legs from where she was kneeling as well, her black tights insufficient protection when pressed directly into the wet snow.

"What... what is happening?" She muttered to herself. "Am... am I dead?"

She took one ragged breath after another, and shivered, sitting back on her knees and raising her palms, now reddened from cold, to her face. "My hands are cold... do ghosts feel cold?"

Ruby was suddenly conscious of the weight of Crescent Rose against her back. She pulled it in front of her, examining the weapon closely. It seemed solid, reassuring... the first reassuring thing she'd encountered since the white light that had apparently brought her here, but that didn't mean she wasn't dead.

"Ghosts can have weapons, right?" she started to stand, and pressed the hidden button that caused Crescent Rose to unfold into it's scythe form. "Maybe I'm supposed to be a vengeful spirit?"

She tried to take that idea seriously long enough that she had to chuckle. "No... that's silly." She put a hand into a pocket in the back of her skirt and pulled out her scroll. "And I'm pretty sure Ghosts don't have scrolls."

Ruby slid Crescent Rose back into its holster on her back and opened her scroll. "I've got a signal. So unless Ghosts can make scroll calls, I'm probably not dead." She scrolled through her contacts, and blinked. "Yang, Dad, Uncle Qrow... my friends from Signal... where's Blake and Weiss? And Jaune, and..." She gulped. "None of my friends from Beacon are here? Why?" Ruby staggered to her feet, really starting to feel the cold against her legs now, and hugged herself. "What's going on? This can't be a dream, it feels so real!" She took a deep breath, then pinched her cheek hard, then yelped. "Ouch... not a dream. So... was all that just now a dream? Did I somehow dream about going to Beacon?"

Ruby shook her head. "NO." Her eyes grew hard. "No. No. It can't have been a dream. Weiss, Blake, team RWBY, it has to have been real..." Ruby's face paled. "But Pyrrha died... and Yang... her arm! And the Grimm, and Torchwick, and Beacon being overrun?!" She shook her head. "This doesn't make any sense!"

Ruby forced herself to calm down, taking deep breaths until her breathing slowed. "OK, OK, figure this out." She opened her scroll again, and checked the time and date. Somehow, the date didn't surprise her as much as it should. Her scroll claimed it was the anniversary of her mother's death, nearly ten months before the day she'd had woken up in the morning before.

"I'm in the past?" Ruby heard herself say the words, and the sound of her own voice saying it seemed to make the possibility more real. "I'm in the past?!" she said again, more incredulously. "Before Beacon, before any of it happened. How?"

Suddenly, hope blossomed in her chest. It was muted still by grief, by disbelief and fear, but it was there, and it steadily started to grow stronger. Then, another emotion started to take over. Resolve.

"It doesn't matter how it happened. I'm in the past. Somehow... and that means I can fix it. I can save Pyrrha, and Yang, and Penny!" Her hands flew to her mouth. "Oh gods, I almost forgot Penny! I can save her too!"

She shivered again, feeling the cold even more now. Her stockings were wet, and she'd been standing in the wind for several minutes now, and she felt enervated somehow, as if she'd been fighting for hours. She turned away from her mother's grave, looking at the woods that were between her and her family home, and shivered.

"The Beowolves..." she muttered. "I know what day this is. As soon as I get into the first big clearing in those woods, Beowolves are going to come. Lots of Beowolves." Taking a deep breath, she turned back to her mother's grave. "Mom... I don't know how, but somehow, I've gotten a second chance. I'm not going to waste it. I'll make you proud, mom." Turning her back on her mother's grave, she started to walk into the forest, fierce determination filling her as she moved.

As she entered the clearing, a strong feeling of familiarity filled her. She knew before she looked what was coming. Red eyes approached through the darkness under the trees, and then Beowolves started to come into view in large numbers. Ruby walked calmly out into the clearing, making sure to give herself plenty of room to maneuver as the horde of Grimm started to surround her.

She was tired. She didn't remember being this tired before. She was cold as well, and her hands stung slightly as she swung Crescent Rose out and got ready to fire. But she was Ruby Rose, and she was a huntress. Beowolves? Bring them on.

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Her aura had broken during the fight. Her cloak was torn, and she had a nasty set of bruises across her back where she'd slammed into a tree. The fight had been harder than she remembered, but she'd honed her skills during the last year at Beacon, and she'd still won the fight. She was SO tired though. It was like the fatigue from the fight at Beacon had followed her back in time. Her head hurt as well, and there was an ache behind her eyes. She staggered slightly as she left the clearing, pushing herself upright off a nearby tree, she forced herself to walk straight.

As she walked, she forced herself to think. "What should I do? What can I do? Do I tell someone? Who's going to believe me?" She considered telling her father. "No... Dad would think I'm crazy, and even if I could prove that I'm telling the truth, he'd never let me go to Beacon if he knew what was going to happen there." She considered her older sister. "Yang would help... if I could convince her I'm not crazy, anyway. I'm not really sure I'm not crazy myself. But at the least, I can't tell dad."

Ruby kept moving, even though her body just wanted to shut down, and saw a familiar sight as she came in sight of her home. Taiyang, her father, was waiting by the door, his face smoothing from anxious to relieved as she came into sight. As she staggered slightly again as she approached the house, his face shot immediately back to concern, and he ran towards her.

"Ruby! Are you alright?" Taiyang reached her in moments, looking like he was prepared to scoop her off her feet.

"I'm OK, just a bit tired," she told him immediately, deciding to go for as much of the truth as she could. "Big pack of Beowolves. Maybe fifty. I got them all though."

Taiyang frowned. "Are you sure you're OK? I know you can handle some Beowolves, but fifty is a lot. Did you get hit?"

Ruby shrugged, trying not to wince as her back twinged. "My aura took the damage. I'll be fine with some rest. I'm not a baby anymore dad."

Taiyang raised an eyebrow. "Maybe, but I still want to have a look at you, just in case." He took a long look back into the woods behind her. "I knew I should have come with you. I can't believe that there were that many Grimm though!"

Ruby sighed. "Well... they probably were drawn to me. I was... feeling pretty sad."

Taiyang sucked in a breath and nodded. "Yeah." He stepped up and put a hand around her back, then pulled her right arm over his shoulder. "Come on, I'll help you inside."

Ruby accepted the aid without complaint, causing Taiyang to look at her in concern. Ruby realized her mistake immediately. She'd have never let him help her walk like this normally, not unless she was really hurt, and he knew it.

"So you're fine, are you?" Taiyang's voice was light, but she knew she was busted.

"Got thrown into a tree. But I'm FINE." She stressed. "My aura will fix it in no time."

"Sure, sure..." Taiyang said lightly, humoring her, but she knew he wouldn't be satisfied till he'd seen the damage for himself.

A few minutes later, after he'd whistled appreciatively at her bruises and given her some painkillers, Tai admitted that she was right, she'd be fine in a day or two, and he was glad she wasn't hurt worse.

"Still..." he said matter-of-factually. "You should probably wait to head into Vale till you're healed up a bit."

"Into Vale?" Ruby wracked her brain, trying to remember. "I was going into Vale?"

"To see your sister off? She's starting at Beacon in a few days, remember?"

Ruby's face froze in shock. "That was today?" She tried to think. "She went yesterday to shop for school supplies, and she's staying in town... and I was supposed to go see her on the day before school started!"

Ruby was trying hard not to panic. I need to get into Beacon... and the only reason I GOT into Beacon is because I stopped Roman Torchwick's gang from robbing that Dust store... what was it called?!

"Dust till Dawn!" She shouted suddenly, her face lighting up as she remembered the name of the store.

"What?" Her father looked strangely at her. "That's a... dust store in Vale, isn't it?"

Ruby flushed, then tried to cover. "Er... yeah! I wanted to look at their weapon magazines while I was in Vale! There's a new issue out, and they don't get that magazine here in Patch..."

Taiyang laughed. "Of course that'd be what got your attention. Still, I don't know about you going all the way into Vale in your condition..."

Ruby shot to her feet, pulling down her shirt to cover the bruises on her back. "What condition? I'm fine!" she lied brazenly. "I'll BE fine. You know I always heal really quick." she gave him her best puppy dog stare. "Daaaddd." she whined. "I CAN'T miss Yang before she goes into Beacon. It'll be forever till I get to see her again."

Internally, she was trying to remember the airship schedule from Patch to Vale. "I can rest up tonight, and catch the morning flight... it'll be fine!" _I met up with Yang tomorrow night originally, didn't I? Or was it tonight? Darn it! I can't miss that robbery!_

Taiyang frowned, then sighed. "Fine, if you're feeling better tomorrow, you can go. But I'm walking you to the terminal!"

Ruby breathed a sigh of relief even as bits of memory returned. She had taken the morning flight the previous time as well. It'd taken her most of the day to track Yang down, and they'd spent the night in a hotel in Vale. She'd been shopping by herself the next evening... or was it the evening after that? No, they'd only been at the hotel for two days, certainly? Ruby grimaced. _I can't miss that robbery, no matter what!_

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The next morning, Ruby woke feeling stiff, but nowhere near as tired as she'd been the night before. Her aura seemed mostly back to normal, and she could feel the bruises on her back were already healing. She dressed quickly, packed, and headed downstairs.

Taiyang was waiting for her. "So, feeling better this morning?" He asked lightly.

"Yup! All better!" Ruby announced cheerfully. "I feel great!" she lied glibly.

"Good to hear!" Taiyang said with a grin, slapping Ruby on the back heartily.

Ruby steeled herself and took the slap without a wince, only the slight twitching of one eye marring the grin she had plastered on her face. "Yup! All healed. So... time to get to the ferry to Vale, right?"

"Breakfast first young lady." Taiyang said cheerfully. "There is plenty of time before your flight."

/-/

Taiyang had walked her to the terminal, and Ruby had difficulty concealing her impatience to leave. Taiyang put up with her anxiety with easy humor, however, and Ruby was in a cheerful mood by the time they had reached their destination. When the airship to Patch started to board passengers, however, she felt a pang of homesickness. Taiyang didn't know it, but she wouldn't be back in Patch for a lot longer than the few days he expected. If she had her way, she'd get into Beacon, and she wouldn't be home for months, if not longer. Despite her anxiety to return to Beacon and her friends, she found herself saddened by the thought. She'd already spent nearly a year away from home, even if it'd happened in another timeline, and for her, she'd only had a few hours to spend with her father in all that time. Still, she had been sent back for a reason, and she steeled herself to hide her feelings behind a smile.

Taiyang noticed, of course. "What's wrong, kiddo?" He asked her as she was about to turn to go.

Ruby hesitated. "Just... I'm going to miss Yang while she's at Beacon, I guess." she lied.

Taiyang nodded, accepting the lie easily. "Me too, kiddo. Me too." He wrapped her up in a strong hug. "Give her my love, OK? And have fun in Vale."

Ruby hugged him back, hiding her face in his shoulder. "Fun. Yup! Going to have a blast." Pulling away, she started running toward the back of the line going into the Airship. "Got to go. Love you Dad!"

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The Airship arrived in Vale just before noon, and Ruby was loose in the city. She opened her scroll, and turned on the feature that allowed her to track her sister's scroll, a program that Taiyang had insisted that they both install. It certainly came in handy in times like these. Unfortunately, Ruby remembered how difficult Yang had been to track down that day. She'd been moving from place to place faster than Ruby could follow. But knowing what she knew, Ruby remembered where she'd last spotted her. It was hard to forget seeing a full grown man get thrown out of a window, after all.

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Hours later, Ruby waited patiently as her sister tore up the inside of a dance club. She knew Yang would be alright, but she didn't know what would happen if she tried to come in earlier. Instead, she waited outside the window she remembered the large man flying through that night, and sure enough, after all the explosions and gunfire were through, he flew through the window over her head, just as she remembered. Yang hopped out of the window following the man, incidentally going right over Ruby's head.

Ruby stepped forward and tapped her sister on the shoulder, then ducked as Yang came around with a wild punch.

"Whoa! Yang it's me!" She shouted.

"Oops!" Yang grinned and shrugged. "Sorry Ruby. Surprised me there."

Ruby hesitated, wanting to tell her older sister everything. But there was no way she'd believe her, was there? She'd think she was crazy!

Ruby sighed and forced a smile. "So, what were you doing in there, anyway, Yang?"

Yang had blown her off with some story about getting into a bar fight because some guy hit on her. Not that Ruby couldn't believe that a guy would hit on Yang, or that she'd start a bar fight about it, but something about the way she averted her eyes when telling the story told Ruby that Yang was hiding something. In fact, Ruby seemed to remember thinking that Yang had been hiding something from her the first time as well. But whatever it was, Ruby was actually grateful. It meant that Yang was too nervous to question why Ruby herself was distracted and nervous. Yang usually could tell when something was bothering her, but this time, it wasn't something simple that her big sister could fix. It wasn't something her big sister would even BELIEVE. So Ruby was glad Yang was too distracted to question her about it.

/-/

The next day, Ruby and Yang spent some time together in Vale, hanging out, seeing the sights, and window shopping. Yang was already all packed to go to Beacon, and it was, supposedly, the last day they'd have together for awhile. That afternoon, however, the sisters split up. Yang wanted to go to a club to dance with some of her friends from Signal, and Ruby wanted to get to From Dust Till Dawn. Roman Torchwick was coming, and Ruby had no intention of being late.

/-/

She was early. Ruby couldn't remember exactly when she'd gotten there the first time, so she ended up waiting in the store for hours. She'd bought a weapon's magazine to placate the shop owner after the first hour, then some extra dust rounds for Crescent Rose an hour later. After that, the owner seemed content to let her peruse the magazines in the back. Unlike the previous time, Ruby wasn't listening to music. She was too nervous to let her guard down, even if she knew she'd get through this fight with no problems. Except it wasn't certain, was it? Roman had nearly killed her the last time they'd fought, up on the top of that Atlas battleship, and while things PROBABLY would go the same way, what if they didn't?

Before she could drive herself into a panic, however, the chime over the door announced the arrival of Torchwick and his men, a bunch of goons in black suits wearing red ties. It was strange, she'd never seen those particular goons after this one fight. Maybe she'd beaten all of them the first time and Torchwick had to work with the White Fang after that? Ruby's eyes went wide at that thought. Could she have caused Torchwick to join the White Fang? Was everything he helped them do after this her fault?

Ruby was still staring into space, stunned, when one of the black suited goons came around the end of the aisle she was standing in and pointed a pistol at her. "Hey kid!" He said in a threatening tone. "Hands on your head and don't do nuthing stupid."

This broke Ruby out of her stupor, and she couldn't help but grin as she asked. "Are you robbing me?"

The man rolled his eyes and waved the pistol. "Yes!"

Ruby grinned wider. "Good."

The fight with Torchwick's goons was over in under a minute. It had been so long ago for her now that she couldn't remember much about the fight except that it was easy... and it was. Regular humans without Aura or Semblance didn't stand a chance against her speed. Torchwick, on the other hand, was more of a problem.

"Worth every penny, those guys..." Torchwick was muttering in annoyance. Ruby blinked. That explained it, she supposed. They weren't actually his men, but rather men he'd hired. Or did that make a difference?

She was almost too distracted to catch what he said next as she tried to puzzle that out, something about her being too young or something. She certainly didn't miss him pointing his cane at her, however.

Ruby was moving before he'd pushed the button to activate his gun-cane's sight, and rather than firing at her, he was forced to parry her scythe as she used her semblance to flash up to him with a move that would have cut a normal human in half. She'd have never used such a move against a normal person, of course. Torchwick's men always got the blunt side of her scythe, but Torchwick... he was DANGEROUS. Worse, he was part of all the terrible things that had happened. Yang losing her arm, Penny, Pyrrha, the Atlas robots attacking everyone. Torchwick was part of it. Maybe he wasn't in charge. It had been a really confusing year, but he was certainly a big piece of why all those terrible things had happened. Ruby didn't hold back. Even as he parried, she whipped herself past him and swung again for his back.

Torchwick rolled forward, barely ducking clear of her blade, and came to his feet in a moment, pointing his gun-cane back her way as he attempted to get a clear shot. Ruby didn't give him time, firing Crescent Rose to shoot herself back toward him and inside his guard before he could fire. The master criminal jerked sideways, but not quite far enough, and his aura took a massive hit as he went spinning into the wall of a nearby alley from the force of her blow. She'd damaged his coat, and it looked like she might have cut him a bit, even through his aura.

Torchwick's eyes went from astonishment, to fear, to determination in an instant. "Kind of murdery for a little kid, aren't you, little red?" He asked with a bit of an edge to his voice, parrying Crescent Rose away with his cane as Ruby sliced at him again. He kept the alley wall to his back, keeping Ruby from rushing past him and building more momentum, so Ruby fired at him point blank to fling herself away and give herself some room to maneuver.

Roman dodged the sniper round, barely, then was forced to dodge and parry several more as Ruby dug Crescent Rose into the street thirty feet away from him and opened fire from a fixed position. The heavy sniper rounds knocked his cane around in his hands and one parry was not quite enough, the round nicking him in the side of the chest and knocking another chunk off of his aura. But the distance gave him enough time to line up a shot of his own.

Ruby lifted Crescent Rose and fired again as the dust round hit the street where she'd been standing a moment before, and when the smoke cleared, Roman wasn't there anymore.

"Darn it!" She muttered. "He did that last time too!" Quickly scanning about, she spotted him swiftly climbing a ladder. "Wow, he's really fast when he wants to run away..."

Ruby raced toward the ladder, but rather than climb it, she used her semblance to race up the side of the building, landing in a flurry of rose petals on the roof just as he was reaching the rooftop himself.

Swearing, he leaped to one side to avoid her first swing, and he sprinted for the other side of the roof, where a Bullhead was already hovering. But Ruby was faster, and she knew where he'd be going. She fired Crescent Rose once, letting the recoil carry her into the air over Roman, then fired a second time, using the momentum to send her spinning downward over top of where he was heading.

Roman glanced behind him at the first shot, not stopping, but wanting to make sure he wasn't shot in the ass on the way out, but, like most people, didn't think to immediately look upwards. He DID spot her coming down from above out of the corner of his eye, and tried to turn and parry her attack, but he was too late. Ruby slammed Crescent Rose into his right side hard enough to send him skidding across the rooftop with a broken arm.

He skidded to a halt when he hit the edge of the roof, and for a long moment the Bullhead hovered above the building. Then Glynda Goodwitch came down out of the sky next to Torchwick, and the Bullhead pilot had obviously seen enough. It turned and accelerated, rapidly putting distance between itself and the roof. Ruby was torn between firing at the retreating craft and making sure Torchwick didn't try anything, and the craft quickly disappeared into the distance.

Glynda Goodwitch was staring at Ruby with a mix of astonishment and, Ruby realized, trepidation? Miss Goodwitch couldn't actually be scared of her, could she?

Seeing that Torchwick didn't seem to be trying to escape at the moment, Ruby retracted Crescent Rose into it's boxy, rifle-only mode, and pointed it slightly towards the rooftop, rather than directly at Glynda or Torchwick.

"Er... hi?" Ruby tried, feeling more than a little nervous at the strange look Beacon's combat instructor was giving her.

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Torchwick had surrendered almost immediately after that, and once the police had arrived, Glynda had handed over the criminal and his squad of goons, who were still scattered either unconscious or wishing they were unconscious on the street below, over to the cops, who had Torchwick handcuffed and in the back of a police van before ten minutes had passed from his initial entry into From Dust till Dawn.

Glynda had then taken Crescent Rose, escorted her to the local police station, and, after talking to the local police captain for a minute, taken her back into an interrogation chamber.

Ruby wasn't scared, of course. This had all happened before. In a few minutes, Professor Ozpin would come through the door and offer her the chance to come to Beacon! She'd done it! Better than that, she'd stopped Torchwick! Sure, there were the White Fang, and Cinder and her team, but surely things would be easier from now on, wouldn't they?

Things were not quite going as she remembered, however. For one, Glynda seemed quite a bit more angry then Ruby remembered.

"What were you thinking?!" Glynda yelled angrily. "You could have killed those men! You badly injured several of them, and from what I saw, you were going after the last man with the full intent to kill him!"

Ruby blinked. "Um... huh?" She didn't remember Glynda accusing Ruby of trying to murder anyone before.

Glynda tapped her foot, eyes harsh. "Well? What do you have to say for yourself?"

Ruby tried to think quickly. "Well... they tried to kill me first?"

Glynda growled. "And was that sufficient reason to resort to murder?"

Ruby backpedaled quickly. "I didn't kill anyone. I didn't even try to kill anyone! I used the blunt end of Crescent Rose on all those goons!"

Glynda stared back at her. "And what about their leader? You obviously were not holding back against him in the slightest."

Ruby thought frantically. "Well... I could tell he was really strong. And er... I recognized him from the news? I knew that if I held back he'd beat me."

Glynda blinked. "Did you now? How did you know that?"

Ruby swallowed, then lied blatantly, hoping that the teacher wouldn't figure that out. "I'm... good at reading people?"

"So it seems." Ruby nearly jumped as Professor Ozpin came through the door. His face was stern, and, to her shock, he was NOT carrying a plate full of chocolate chip cookies. Did she not remember that part correctly?

She cringed back as he approached her, his face grave. "Ruby Rose..." He said, leaning in close. "You have silver eyes."

Ruby took a breath. This seemed more familiar. He'd said something similar the first time, hadn't he?

He carefully sat down in the chair opposite her, and seemed to regard her carefully. "So. Tell me, Miss Rose. What were your intentions, tonight, when you confronted Roman Torchwick and his gang?"

This seemed to be going entirely differently than the last time, but Ruby had an answer ready. "I didn't intend to confront anyone, sir." She said carefully. "I was shopping when they tried to rob the store I was in."

Ozpin nodded. "But when you realized that the store was being robbed, what were your thoughts?"

Ruby considered that. "Well, I wanted to stop the robbery, of course."

Ozpin inclined his head in acknowledgement. "You used one of the most lethal weapons ever designed to stop a robbery?"

Ruby shrugged. "Crescent Rose is really dangerous, but my Uncle Qrow taught me how to use her. I was careful not to hurt anyone too badly. But they were pointing guns and swords at me."

Ozpin raised an eyebrow. "I see." He gestured to Glynda, who produced an oversized scroll, on which was playing a video of Ruby's fight. "And here?" He said, tapping the screen as a red blur was racing toward a surprised looking Roman Torchwick. "Why didn't you hold back here?"

Ruby forced down her nervousness. She'd already answered this question, hadn't she? "He's Roman Torchwick." She explained. "I knew he had aura. And I could tell he was dangerous. When he pointed his gun-cane at me, I didn't want to give him a chance to fire. It fires high caliber shells."

Ozpin glanced at Glynda, who looked surprised. "You recognized his weapon for what it was that quickly?"

"Yes." Ruby nodded. She hadn't the first time, but she had an easy lie ready. It had the benefit of being mostly true. "I love weapons. I'm a bit of a weapon nut, really. I read all the hunter weapon magazines. I built my baby myself, and I could tell that Roman's cane was modified to fire high caliber dust rounds. Not with anything like the muzzle velocity Crescent Rose has, of course, but that doesn't mean it wasn't dangerous."

Ozpin looked pleased. "That's very impressive, Miss Rose." He looked thoughtful. "Your uncle taught you? Qrow Branwen?"

Ruby nodded, back on more comfortable ground. "That's right. He's a teacher at Signal Academy. I'm training to be a huntress there."

Ozpin smiled. "And why do you wish to become a Huntress, Ruby Rose?"

Ruby's shoulders sagged slightly in relief. She knew the answer to that. "I want to help people. My parents always taught us to help people... and my sister is going to Beacon this year, and I'm going to go in two more years..." she trailed off, looking at the man curiously, wondering if she'd somehow messed up. Wasn't he going to invite her to Beacon? Was she too scary with Roman Torchwick? Did he think she was some sort of murdering crazy person who was too dangerous to go to his school?

Ozpin nodded slowly. "I see. Do you know who I am?"

"You're Professor Ozpin. You're the headmaster at Beacon."

He chuckled slightly. "Hello."

"Nice to meet you."

"Do you want to come to my school?" He asked, leaning forward.

"More than anything." She answered him with complete honesty.

Ozpin glanced at Glynda, who grunted and looked away, then looked back at Ruby, and smiled just a little. "Well, OK."

Glynda gave Ruby an evil stare. "SOMEONE has to reign in your reckless behavior. It might as well be us."

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It turned out there were cookies after all. Professor Ozpin handed her a plastic bag full of chocolate chip cookies on the way out of the station, explaining that he thought she'd probably be hungry after her long night. She'd been appropriately grateful, and not at all surprised to find an anxious Yang waiting for her in the police waiting room.

Yang's anxiety turned into ecstatic cheer by the time they got back to their hotel room. Their father, on the other hand, was not terribly thrilled to learn that his baby girl had been battling hardened criminals in the streets, nor was he especially thrilled by her early entry into Beacon. Ruby however, had had this conversation before, and it went as she remembered. Taiyang knew how badly Ruby wanted to go to Beacon, and more, how much she'd been fretting over being separated from her sister Yang for two years, so he reluctantly agreed that she could go.

The next morning, on the shuttle to Beacon, Yang was still over the moon with pride. "I still can't believe it! My baby sister, going to Beacon!" Ruby tuned out Yang, looking out the window instead, thinking hard about what she could remember about the days to come. Initiation would be tricky. So much could happen, and she needed to get it right. In the background, she could hear a news report going on about Roman Torchwick and his gang being captured, and she was thankful her name wasn't mentioned. Then the story moved on to something about a faunus civil rights protest.

Ruby frowned. "Blake..." she muttered quietly to herself. "We have to help her..."

"What was that, sis?" Yang asked curiously.

Ruby wrinkled her nose. "Er... just thinking about trying to make friends when we get to Beacon?"

Yang's smile grew a mile wide. "Is my baby sister breaking out of her shell at last? Oh, this is going to be the best year ever! I just know we're both going to make a bunch of new friends."

Ruby nodded slowly, a melancholy smile coming over her. "I sure hope so, sis!" She glanced around as the image of Glynda Goodwitch came on the screen, going into her introductory speech. She recognized a lot of the people on the transport. Ren and Nora were both here, as were the boys from Cardin's team. She wondered if they knew each other, or if they'd grouped up by chance like she had with Weiss? There were a bunch of other prospective students there as well. Ones she didn't recognize.

"Not everyone here is going to get in..." She remembered. "I guess initiation was pretty tough."

She spotted Jaune, the blond boy looking ill, and she winced as he vomited, splashing Yang's boots. "Oh! I'd forgotten about that!" she said in a whisper to herself, giving herself a light rap on the head with her knuckles. "Darn it."

Yang jumped and swore, scraping the vomit off her boots with some tissues, and before long they'd docked at Beacon. Jaune was one of the first ones off, but Ruby wasn't far behind him, looking around for the other people she knew from her last time. She spotted Blake sitting under a tree, reading, and Weiss was coming out of a private airship with a load of luggage and a pair of butlers? Ruby's eyes narrowed. Where was Pyrrha? The reason she'd come back in time, more than any other, was to prevent Pyrrha's death. It had been that which had sent her back. Ruby felt that it meant something. That somehow, she was destined to save Pyrrha from her fate. But to do that, first she needed to find her, didn't she?

Almost as soon as they'd left the airship, Yang spotted several of her friends from Signal, who'd also made it to Beacon, and excused herself, promising to meet Ruby inside. Ruby sighed as she watched Yang go. None of Yang's friends would make it in. It hadn't seemed to bother Yang all that much, but Ruby wondered. Could she change things so that some of Yang's friends made it? She probably shouldn't, she knew. If they weren't tough enough to get through initiation, they probably wouldn't do well at Beacon anyway. A selfish part of Ruby remembered how glad she'd been to be on a team with Yang and have her sister almost entirely to herself. She shook her head. But now wasn't the time to be distracted! She had things to do!

Ruby glanced from Blake to Weiss, contemplating approaching one or the other. "What should I do? I want to have team RWBY back, but how do I stay close to Pyrrha if I'm not on her team? I can't let her die again."

She wrinkled her nose, then looked around, spotting Jaune after only a few moments. "Jaune gets on her team, and I like Jaune. Maybe I should just make friends with Jaune again, and I can meet Pyrrha that way?"

Ruby grimaced. Making friends was NOT one of her better skills. But then again, Jaune was pretty awkward too. And he was really nice. She knew the blond boy well enough by now to know that if she just walked up and and introduced herself, he'd be nice right away. She could do this! Putting action to her thoughts, Ruby waited for the crowd to thin a bit, then headed for Jaune Arc.

"Hi there. Are you feeling better?" She asked politely. "I'm Ruby Rose, by the way."

Jaune grimaced at the reminder. "Motion sickness is really very common you know!"

Ruby blinked. "Um... sure?" she held out her hand hopefully. "Well, it's nice to meet you...?"

Jaune looked at her hand for a long moment, as if surprised, then stuck out his own and quickly shook her hand. "Jaune Arc. Short, sweet, rolls off the tongue, ladies love it."

Ruby giggled. "Do they?"

Things continued smoothly from that point. Ruby fell back on her old standard for meeting people. Talk about weapons. Jaune seemed suitably impressed by Crescent Rose, if a bit confused, and Ruby was genuinely appreciative of his sword. People really didn't appreciate the classics anymore, and there was nothing wrong with using a sword and shield. It kind of made Jaune seem like a knight from one of her stories, even though Jaune wasn't really as suave or confident as one of those characters from stories. Still, she did honestly like Jaune Arc, and it seemed like she was well on her way to reestablishing her friendship with the first person she'd befriended at Beacon the last time.

She let Jaune lead her away from the main building for awhile as they talked, then nodded back toward the main hall. "I think we're supposed to be meeting up over there."

Jaune nodded and followed her, and soon they had joined up with the mass of students in the main hall. Ruby glanced around, spotting Yang's bright yellow head of hair almost immediately, but deciding to wait till later to rejoin her sister. Where was Pyrrha anyway?

Ruby glanced behind her, and spotted the red-haired amazonian girl almost immediately, then forced herself to face forward quickly. "Gah. Did she see me looking? What do I do? What should I say to her?" she muttered under her breath.

"Um... what's wrong?" Jaune asked Ruby curiously, not quite able to make out what the small girl was saying.

Ruby tried to come up with an excuse. "Er... that girl by the door looks like she's lonely. Maybe we should say hi?"

Jaune turned and looked, causing Ruby to wince. "Oh? Who?"

Ruby took a deep breath to calm down. "You can do this." She turned to face Pyrrha, then looked at Jaune. "Come on, we're all new here, right? Let's meet some people."

Ruby led Jaune toward Pyrrha, and couldn't help but notice Pyrrha seem to stiffen. Pyrrha's expression quickly morphed into a polite smile as they got into speaking range, but Ruby had to frown. She'd seen Pyrrha smile before, many times, and that wasn't her happy smile. It was the smile she gave to fans.

Ruby took a deep breath, walked up to Pyrrha, and held out her hand. "Hi. I'm Ruby Rose."

Pyrrha blinked, looking mildly surprised, then held out her own hand for a handshake. "Hello there. I'm Pyrrha."

Jaune grinned and waved. "My name's Jaune! Nice to meet you!"

Pyrrha's smile softened into something a bit more genuine. "Nice to meet you Jaune."

Ruby hesitated, then forged on, emboldened by how well this seemed to be going. "So, are you new here too?" She glanced around. "This is my first day... although I guess it's everyone's first day, isn't it? I mean, everyone is here for the first time because it's the first day and we're all here to be huntresses and huntsman and... I'm going to stop talking now..." Ruby trailed off, kind of wishing she could melt into the floor.

Pyrrha, however, didn't seem upset, and smiled gently at her. "I am new here, yes." She looked mildly curious. "If you don't mind me asking, you seem a bit young for Beacon."

Ruby sighed in relief. "That's because I am! Young I mean. I'm fifteen. I wasn't supposed to be going to Beacon for two more years. My sister Yang was going to go this year, er... I mean she IS going this year, but I wasn't going... to go... this year..." she trailed off again, grimacing. "Er... I'm a bit nervous?"

Pyrrha didn't seem to be upset. "So are you here to see off your older sister then?"

Jaune seemed disappointed. "You're not actually going to be here this year?"

Ruby quickly shook her head. "Oh no! I am going here this year! I just... I just got in two years early."

Pyrrha's eyes went wide. "That's remarkable! I don't remember ever hearing about anyone getting into one of the main huntsman academies so early before. That's quite the achievement!"

Ruby winced. "Well... It's really not that big a deal. It was more of an accident, really."

Jaune looked confused. "How do you accidentally get into Beacon two years early?"

Ruby grimaced. "I... kind of stopped Roman Torchwick from robbing a dust shop? Yesterday?"

Pyrrha's eyes went wider. "That was YOU?" She beamed. "That's amazing! The news said it was a pair of huntresses from Beacon... but they didn't give any names. Was that you and your older sister then?"

Ruby was starting to get embarrassed. Sure, she'd lived through being the prodigy who'd stopped a robbery to get into Beacon before, but she never liked the attention. Still, Pyrrha seemed impressed, so maybe this was a good thing just this once?

"No, my sister wasn't there." Ruby admitted. "Miss Goodwitch did show up at the end though."

Pyrrha blinked. "Miss Goodwitch?"

Ruby looked around, then pointed up towards the stage. "Miss Goodwitch. She's the combat instructor here at Beacon. She helped..." Ruby trailed off. She could tell the truth, that the fight had been all but over when Glynda Goodwitch had arrived, but she really didn't want it to seem like she was bragging. "And I guess she and Professor Ozpin were impressed, because they invited me to come to Beacon!" she finished with a little shrug.

Jaune looked flabbergasted. "Wow! You're a hero! That's awesome!"

Pyrrha was beaming. "Most wonderful. It's a honor to meet you, Ruby Rose!"

Ruby couldn't stop her blush from covering her face entirely. "Um... thanks? I mean, I'm sure anyone would have done the same."

Pyrrha smiled softly, and put one hand on Ruby's shoulder. "I disagree. Most people would not have acted in such a situation, and fewer would do so successfully. You should be proud of your accomplishments."

Ruby sighed, and went with honesty. "I am. I mean, I'm really glad I got to come to Beacon. I was really sad that I'd be away from my big sister for two years, and I've ALWAYS wanted to train at Beacon Academy. My mom and dad trained here, and they were both hunters! But I don't know if I want everyone to think I'm weird." She chuckled self deprecatingly. "I mean, I guess I am kind of weird. I'm obsessed with weapons, and I'm younger than everyone here..."

Jaune leaned in to get his face closer to hers. "Hey, I don't think you're weird. I think you're pretty cool."

Pyrrha nodded. "I agree. I think you are... cool, Ruby."

Ruby smiled back, feeling more than a little overwhelmed. She'd done it. She'd made friends with Jaune and Pyrrha! Biting her lip, Ruby lowered her eyes, not wanting to push her luck.

"Thanks." She told them honestly. "I'm really not all that cool. But it's nice to hear anyway." She took a deep breath, and a solid step back. "It was nice meeting you both. I should probably go meet up with my sister though. She'll probably be wondering where I am. I'll see you around though?"

Pyrrha nodded. "I certainly hope so. It was very nice meeting you as well."

Jaune grinned. "Yup! See you later Ruby!"

Ruby waved as she walked backwards, then smacked into someone behind her, knocking herself and the person she'd run into over in a heap with Ruby on top.

"Watch where you're walking!" Weiss Schnee growled angrily, pushing Ruby off of her with a huff as she sat up. "What kind of a dolt are you?"

Ruby quickly rose to her feet, and offered Weiss a hand up. "Sorry! I'm so sorry, that was my fault..." she began.

Weiss waved her away, getting to her feet without assistance. "Obviously. What kind of an idiot walks backwards through a crowded room, anyway?" Her eyes narrowed. "How old are you anyway? Aren't you a little young to be attending Beacon?"

Ruby blinked. She REALLY hadn't intended to start things off with Weiss this way, still, it had been even worse the first time, so this wasn't really all that bad, was it?

Weiss waved a hand in front of her face. "Excuse me? Are you even listening? This isn't just any combat school. It's not just sparring and practice you know. We're here to fight monsters. So watch where you're going!"

Ruby had to hide a smile. "Sorry, Weiss... Ice Queen." Ruby blushed, hoping Weiss hadn't noticed the slip.

Weiss raised an eyebrow. "Weiss Queen?"

Ruby tried to shrug nonchalantly. "Ice Queen?" She fought for an explanation. "I mean, you're kind of... icy. With the white hair, and er... you're kind of acting like you're a queen?"

Weiss raised an eyebrow.

Ruby winced. "Sorry. Sorry." She held out a hand. "I'm Ruby Rose. I'm sorry for bumping into you. The bad nicknames are my sister's fault."

Weiss snorted. "A likely story." she rolled her eyes. "Very well, I will accept your apology on the condition you do not bother me again."

Ruby hesitated. "Well, we're kind of going to the same school now, but... I'll do my best not to knock you over any more!"

Weiss put a hand to her forehead. "I can't believe I have to put up with this." Shaking her head, she stalked off.

Ruby sighed. "Well, that probably could have gone better."

Jaune came up behind her and patted her shoulder. "Ah, you can't win them all, right?"

Ruby chuckled. "I suppose not." She smiled at him, then pulled away, giving him a friendly wave. "Still have to get to my sister. Hopefully without knocking anyone else over!"

As she walked through the crowd, she looked around for Blake. The Faunus, however, was nowhere to be seen, probably, Ruby thought, not wanting to mingle with the dense crowd of students. Ruby managed to rejoin Yang without difficulty, just in time for Professor Ozpin to begin his speech. Ruby listened, interested to hear what he'd say. When he was done, she blinked.

"Wow, I'd forgotten what a bummer that speech was..." she muttered to herself.

Yang shook her head. "Wow. That was... different."

The rest of the evening proceeded much as Ruby remembered. Everyone ended up camping out in the main hall, boys and girls together. Yang ogled some shirtless guys, quite a few guys ogled Yang back. Ruby waved to Pyrrha, who waved back happily, looking almost surprised, and came over to join her and her sister.

"Hey Pyrrha, want to join us?" Ruby asked the tall red head with a smile.

Pyrrha ducked her head, looking almost shy. "Would that be alright?"

Yang looked up at the tall amazon, then grinned. "Sure! The more the merrier!" She sat up and held out a hand. "I'm Yang. I take it you've met my baby sister?"

Pyrrha smiled and nodded. "I have had the pleasure, yes."

Ruby gestured to Pyrrha. "Yang, this is Pyrrha. Pyrrha, I mentioned my big sister Yang?"

Pyrrha nodded again. "Nice to meet you Yang. May I?" she gestured at the floor.

Yang grinned. "Any friend of Ruby's is a friend of mine." She reached over to ruffle Ruby's hair. "That's great, sis! You've made one friend already!"

Ruby blushed, then glanced over at where Jaune was wandering, wearing his blue onsey. "Two, I think."

Yang glanced at Jaune as well. "You mean tall blond and dorky?" she gave him the once over. "I mean... kind of cute, although wow. Who wears a onsey?"

Ruby shrugged. "Maybe his mom gave it to him? Who cares if he's got the best fashion sense. He's nice."

Pyrrha nodded agreement. "He does seem nice."

Yang grinned and shrugged. "Eh, whatever. Two friends already! That's great Rubes!"

Ruby glanced at Pyrrha, and they exchanged a smile. "I guess so. Are we friends, Pyrrha?"

Pyrrha seemed to think about that for a moment before nodding. "I'd like that, Ruby."

Yang threw up a thumb's up. "Excellent!" Her eyes followed Jaune as he wandered over to talk to Weiss, who sent the blond away with a growl and a pointed finger. "Er... wow. Guy has no idea how to talk to girls though, huh?"

Ruby giggled. "Nope. But he's still nice."

Yang chuckled. "Well, if he was all suave and sophisticated I might be worried he'd be a bad influence, but he seems safe enough. I'm proud of you, sis." She turned to Pyrrha. "So, how'd you and my baby sister meet, anyway?"

Pyrrha glanced at Ruby, looking as if she almost wanted to ask a question. "Ruby came up to me and introduced herself. She was quite charming."

Yang looked dubious. "Ruby was?"

Ruby groaned and Pyrrha giggled. "I thought so, yes."

Ruby shook her head. "I started to babble after the first ten seconds."

Yang laughed and gave Pyrrha a friendly punch to the shoulder. "If you survived a Ruby babble storm, you're alright in my book."

Pyrrha looked shocked at the familiarity, then started to smile. She didn't seem to know quite what to say, but she certainly looked pleased.

Ruby lay back, covering her face, but she couldn't help giggling softly. Pyrrha joined in a moment later.

Once they'd calmed down, Ruby sat up abruptly, looking around. She spotted Blake over by a wall, reading by candlelight, and contemplated the faunus for awhile, trying to figure out how to approach her.

"Who's that?" Yang asked curiously. "A third friend?"

Ruby blinked, turning to her sister nervously. "No... just... she seems lonely I guess?"

Yang looked a bit surprised. "Huh." She brightened. "Hey, want to go talk to her?"

Ruby nodded slowly. "I think I do."

Yang grinned, rolling to her feet and yanking Ruby to hers as well. "Well, now's your chance!"

Ruby let Yang drag her towards Blake, feeling bemused by the feeling of deja-vu.

"Hello!" Yang called cheerfully as she marched them towards the dark haired girl with the black bow in her hair. "I'm Yang!" she announced as they got within an easy speaking distance. "This is my little sister Ruby!"

Blake slowly looked up from her book. "OK." She answered noncommittally.

"So..." Yang went on. "What's your name?"

"Blake." Blake answered back with a note of reluctance, going back to reading her book immediately.

Ruby latched on to what she could remember. "What are you reading?" She asked.

Blake looked up. "The Man with Two Souls." She answered simply, not trying very hard to conceal her annoyance.

Ruby smiled. "Oh, that's a good one!" She commented. "I enjoyed the ending." Yang blinked at Ruby, looking surprised, and Blake glanced from one sister to the other, looking dubious.

"What part did you like?" Blake asked, partly curious, partly suspicious.

Ruby grinned. She'd borrowed that very book from Blake during the previous timeline, and she HAD enjoyed it. "I think the beginning... when the old man's soul enters the younger man's body, and the young man is so confused, and the old man is trying to calm him down, and he's so bad at it!"

Blake chuckled, having just read that part of the book herself. "Trust me, you're not going insane..." she quoted. "As if that would calm anyone down..."

Ruby laughed. "I know, right?"

Yang grinned at her younger sister. "Sounds neat! I should read it sometime!"

Blake smiled slightly, the annoyed look now completely gone from her expression. "If you want, I can let you borrow my copy, once I'm done with it."

Ruby beamed. "That'd be really nice of you." she winked. "But we better not talk too much about it. We'll end up spoiling it for Yang!"

About then, Weiss finished storming over. "Could you keep it down! People are trying to sleep!"

Ruby grimaced. "Sorry... sorry. We'll just... go." Weiss turned around with a huff and stalked off.

Blake grinned at Weiss's back, looking a bit pleased at the heiress's annoyance, but then turned to Ruby. "Perhaps we can talk about it later. For now, perhaps we should call it a night."

Ruby smiled and waved. "OK Blake. Goodnight." She turned to go back to where she and her sister had their sleeping bags, and Blake blew out her candelabra a moment later.

In the dark, Ruby carefully found her own sleeping bag, and settled onto it, sighing in satisfaction. Nearby, just finishing getting her own sleeping bag unrolled, Pyrrha smiled at the younger girl, then settled herself down to sleep as well.

Yang giggled as she plopped down on her own bag. "Wow, sis. That was pretty smooth. What happened to my awkward geeky baby sister? I'm so proud of you!"

Ruby giggled, then put a finger to her lips. "Yang, shh. People are trying to sleep you know."

Yang chuckled, snagged Ruby by the head to mess up her hair, then released her, grinning. "You know, this has been a really great day. I've got my baby sister, we're making lots of friends. I can't wait for tomorrow. I just know it's going to be even better!"

Ruby lay back, smiling happily. "Yup. Everything is going to go great. Nothing can possibly go wrong."

Yang laughed. "Whoops! There you go and jinx us!"

Ruby just rolled her eyes and hit Yang with her pillow.

* * *

**Just wanted to put an author's note here on something that may seem like a plot hole to some.**

** Ruby seems to kick Roman's ass pretty easily here, and I am well aware that Roman always beat Ruby in their fights in Canon. So why does Ruby win here?**

** Well, to be straightforward, Roman starts by underestimating this kid he's never seen, and Ruby starts out of the gate fighting as if her life depends on it. She's seen Roman fight multiple times, and Roman has never seen Ruby fight before. She had a large, very unfair advantage here. She won't have it so easy if they meet again.**


	2. Chapter 2

The next morning started pretty much as Ruby remembered. They packed up their sleeping bags and headed for the locker rooms, getting their combat outfits and weapons from the lockers they'd been assigned the previous night. As she finished getting ready, she glanced over to see Weiss talking to Pyrrha as the champion fighter adjusted the fit of her armor. Then Jaune wandered over and started hitting on Weiss. Again. Ruby wrinkled her nose and walked towards the incipient argument. Jaune really didn't know how to deal with girls, but he didn't deserve to be yelled at by Weiss or pinned to a wall like the last time, did he?

As she got closer, she could hear Weiss clearly, the heiress's voice easily carrying over the background noise of the locker room. "Jaune, is it? Do you have any idea who you are talking to?"

"Pyrrha, right?" Jaune said, giving the champion a friendly wave. "We met yesterday." Turning back to Weiss. "Why?"

Weiss raised an eyebrow at that. "You know Pyrrha Nikos?"

Jaune looked confused. "Er... yes? We met yesterday?"

Pyrrha nodded back with a smile. "Yes. Hello again Jaune."

Weiss gestured to Pyrrha. "So you know who she is?"

Jaune looked more confused. "Um, yes. That's Pyrrha."

Weiss looked dubious, and began to explain in detail about the champion's many accomplishments. Jaune seemed unimpressed till Weiss, who was looking more and more frustrated, brought up the fact that Pyrrha's face was currently on every box of Pumpkin Pete's marshmallow flakes.

Jaune looked shocked. "Wow! That's awesome Pyrrha! I didn't know you were famous!"

Pyrrha's smile wilted slightly, and she looked almost apologetic. "Well, it never came up..."

Weiss pressed on, seizing her advantage immediately. "So do you think you're really in a position to be on a team with such a famous champion?"

Jaune wilted. "I suppose not..." he said with a defeated sigh.

Ruby grimaced and stepped forward. "Why not? Why does it matter who any of us were before Beacon? We're all here for the same reason. We're here to learn to be hunters and huntresses. Once we pass initiation, we're all in the same boat. And why can't someone famous be friends with someone who isn't?"

Pyrrha beamed at Ruby. "I agree completely." She turned to Weiss with an apologetic smile. "Not that I don't appreciate your acknowledgment, Weiss, but Ruby is correct. Who we were before Beacon shouldn't matter."

Weiss snorted. "Maybe it shouldn't, but you can't deny that it DOES matter. People are going to treat us differently because of who we were before we came here."

Pyrrha glanced at Ruby thoughtfully. "Maybe. But maybe I don't want to be treated any differently than anyone else?"

Ruby grinned back at Pyrrha. "Well, I don't care who you were before Beacon, Pyrrha. The only Pyrrha Nikos that matters to me is the one I met yesterday before the opening ceremony. And I'd like to think that person is a friend of mine."

Pyrrha sighed. "But you did know who I was when you first saw me, didn't you Ruby?"

Ruby's eyes went wide for a moment, then she sighed. "OK yes. But... I meant what I said just now, Pyrrha. Who we were before we came to Beacon doesn't matter. I don't know the girl on the cereal boxes. I never met her before. But yesterday I saw a girl who was standing by herself in a crowd. That girl looked like she was lonely, and maybe she wanted a friend. That was something I could understand. I came here with my sister, but I left all my old friends behind. I'm not all that great at making friends, but I thought I'd try and talk to people, and see if I could make some new friends."

Pyrrha raised an eyebrow. "I think you're better at making friends than you think, Ruby."

Ruby blushed. "I think I just got lucky enough to meet a few really nice people right off the bat."

Weiss groaned. "Seriously? This isn't kindergarten! We're here to learn how to kill monsters, not make friends!"

Jaune stepped up next to Ruby, then glanced curiously at Pyrrha. "Well, if it doesn't matter who we were before Beacon, maybe we can all be on a team together?"

Pyrrha gave him a genuine smile. "That sounds lovely."

Weiss rolled her eyes and stalked off. "I'll see you on the cliffs, Pyrrha. Just be careful to choose your partner carefully. It's not a decision you can take back later."

Yang walked up at that point. "We'd better get going, sis. Don't want to miss initiation, do we?"

Ruby grinned and nodded, and turned to go. "See you out there, Pyrrha, Jaune! Good luck!"

Pyrrha started walking as well. "Good luck to you as well, Ruby. And thank you."

Ruby blinked. "For what?"

Pyrrha smiled. "For treating me like a regular person. It can be tiring, always being treated like a celebrity."

Yang blinked at her. "Oh? Are you supposed to be somebody famous or something?"

Ruby chuckled. "Nope. She's just my friend Pyrrha. Nobody special."

Pyrrha giggled, but didn't comment.

Yang raised an eyebrow at that, but let it go.

Soon, they had gathered on the cliffs, everyone going to stand on a metal launching platform. Ruby went to stand on one next to Yang, and was pleased to note Pyrrha taking up a position on her other side. Jaune, looking confused, got on the platform on the other side of Yang at the end of the row.

Ruby considered her plan as the headmaster explained the initiation to them. She'd heard the speech before, and initiation was an event she remembered quite clearly. She considered her plan one last time. She could find Weiss again. Weiss had ended up being a great partner, despite their rocky start, and it would be really neat to form team RWBY again, but she couldn't do everything the same, or the whole reason she'd come back in time would be wasted. She'd come back to save Pyrrha, so she'd be Pyrrha's partner, or be on her team. That was the only way to be sure that she could save her when the time came.

She could hear Jaune asking the headmaster about landing strategies, but most of her focus was on watching where the launchers were sending everyone. Pyrrha was launched, and Ruby's eyes locked on the amazonian girl as she flew through the air. A moment later she herself was launched into the air, and for a moment, she lost track of Pyrrha, but she was a lot more experienced at aerial maneuvers than she'd been the last time she'd done this, and she spotted the red-haired girl again right away. Pyrrha had been launched higher than Ruby, and was falling to the right of where Ruby seemed to be headed, but it was easy enough to make a course correction or two with the aid of Crescent Rose and her semblance.

Ruby heard rather than saw Yang pass by over-head. The sound of Ember Celica firing was too familiar to mistake for something else, and she caught sight of Yang flying far ahead of the rest of the pack, going for distance rather than trying to land right away. Typical Yang. Hopefully Yang would find Blake... or Blake would find Yang, somewhere in the forest, but Ruby had her own partner in mind.

She fired Crescent Rose three times to slow her momentum, and just as she hit the treetops, she converted her weapon into it's scythe configuration and caught a tree trunk to whip her to the right. As she passed through the trees, heading for the ground at a breakneck pace, she used her Semblance, zipping farther right and down, and re-materialized on the forest floor, already moving at a run. Pyrrha had landed nearby, she was certain.

Pyrrha hopped down out of a tree in front of her, not seeming the slightest bit surprised to see her. "Hello again Ruby." She said with a wry smile. "Somehow I don't think our meeting here is a coincidence, is it?"

Ruby blushed lightly. "I meant it when I said you were my friend, Pyrrha. I haven't met many other people here yet, and if I could partner up with someone I like, why not?"

Pyrrha nodded. "I have no complaints." She looked around. "Well, now it's time to find the relics, I suppose?"

Ruby grinned. "Yup!" She looked around thoughtfully. She hadn't known where the ruin the relics were in the first time she'd been in the forest, but she had a pretty good idea this time. "How about we go... this way." She pointed in the direction she'd noted Yang flying off into.

Pyrrha and Ruby started walking in that direction, side by side. Both girls held their weapons loosely, ready for combat, but a scream from somewhere off to their left caught their attention.

"Someone may be in trouble." Pyrrha said firmly. "We should help."

"Right!" Ruby agreed easily. "It came from this direction!" Inwardly she was worried. That scream had sounded an awful lot like Weiss.

Coming into a clearing, they saw Weiss Schnee running, one arm over her face, the girl looking distraught. Worse, it seemed like Weiss hadn't noticed the pack of Beowolves that were coming out of the trees behind her and to her sides. They'd noticed her, and they were obviously about to pounce.

"Oh no you don't!" Ruby yelled, activating her semblance to blur up to the closest Beowolf on the right. Her scythe sliced through the monster with a single stroke, and Ruby fired Crescent Rose to increase her momentum as she flew toward a second.

Ruby cut through the four Beowolves on the right side of the clearing in one smooth sequence, slicing through them with practiced ease. She'd been nervous and out of sorts during initiation the first time, but this time she was as calm and deadly as she'd been in the forest near her home at Patch.

Pyrrha had charged into battle on the other side of the clearing a few moments later, and the two fledgling huntresses met at the far side. Ruby was pleased to note that she'd killed nearly twice as many Beowolves as Pyrrha had in during the short fight.

Weiss had stopped running as Pyrrha and Ruby flew past her to engage the Beowolves, and was standing, shell-shocked in wonder, as they decimated the beasts all around her.

Ruby and Pyrrha approached the heiress then. Pyrrha smiled and waved, but Ruby was starting to get worried. Weiss had been a little hesitant in combat at first as well, but even their first fight in the forest hadn't caused Weiss to freeze up like that. What was going on?

"Hey Weiss, are you alright?" Ruby asked hesitantly.

Weiss took in a shuddering breath. "I... I... I am uninjured." She said, controlling a shaky stammer as she visibly collected herself, a cool mask of indifference slowly returning to her face. "Thank you for your assistance. I was... badly shaken. I'm... I'm afraid to say that one of our number seems to have been killed already."

Ruby froze. That couldn't be right. Nobody had died during initiation. How could someone die during initiation? Everyone had been fine! Sure, there had been a bunch of applicants who hadn't passed. Some had been injured, others gotten lost, or given up and retreated to the cliffs of Beacon to evade the hordes of Grimm, but nobody had died. She'd have remembered!

Ruby looked back the way Weiss had come from, and started to turn to go that way. Weiss put a hand on her shoulder to stop her.

"Don't." Weiss said softly. "Don't. You don't want to see that. You... you're obviously skilled enough to be here." She gestured at the still dissolving Grimm that Ruby had slain just moments before. "I obviously underestimated you. But... you're too young to see something like that."

Pyrrha put a hand on Ruby's other shoulder. "We should... we should push on and find the relics. Professor Ozpin warned us that some of us might die. We put our lives on the line to serve as hunters and huntresses."

Ruby started to shake. "Who... who was it?"

Weiss looked away. "That... it was that fellow we were speaking with in the locker room. Jaune, I believe?"

Ruby turned to her incredulously. "Jaune?! No! How? Why?"

Weiss shook her head. "I don't know. He seems to have... died on impact. It wasn't pretty, I'm afraid."

Pyrrha grimaced, looking pained. "Are you... are you sure he's dead?"

Weiss bowed her head. "Very sure, I'm afraid. I can't understand it. It was like he had no aura. Even a beginner should have been able to survive a fall like that, even if they didn't take the fall well, their aura should have protected them."

Ruby started to shake her head. "No! No! Jaune, Jaune can't be dead! He can't be!" In a blur of rose petals, she shot in the direction Weiss had come from, not willing to believe it.

Ruby came to a halt a dozen feet away from the body. Weiss was right. There wasn't any doubt Jaune was dead. Ruby turned away with a shudder, feeling faint and going down to her hands and knees to keep from falling over in a faint.

Pyrrha came up to her side a few moments later, taking one long look at Jaune's body, then kneeling at Ruby's side, putting a comforting hand on her back. "I'm so sorry, Ruby. I liked him too. He seemed like a good person."

Ruby shook her head. "How can he be dead? He should have been fine! This doesn't make any sense!" She felt nauseous, faint, light headed, almost as if she was about to pass out. "Is this my fault somehow?"

Pyrrha continued to rub comforting circles on her back. "Of course not. No one could have expected this. He somehow must not have had his Aura activated. I can't imagine how he managed to get into Beacon without that, but I can't think of any other explanation."

Ruby swallowed hard, remembering the past. She vaguely remembered seeing Jaune pinned to a tree by Miló in spear configuration. It had seemed obvious at the time that Pyrrha had deliberately pinned Jaune to a tree in order to team up with him. But had that somehow saved his life? Jaune had Aura. She'd remembered him flying into her that day, thrown by the Deathstalker, and later, him catching Weiss in mid air only to have Weiss land on him. He'd taken more than one major hit that day, and he'd been fine. Jaune had a massive aura. It was one of his better qualities. So how had he died like this?

"He... didn't have his aura unlocked before initiation?" Ruby whispered. It was the only thing that made sense. Had Pyrrha somehow noticed and saved him that day?

Ruby turned to Pyrrha, her eyes wet with unshed tears. "Pyrrha... do you know how to unlock someone's aura?"

Pyrrha nodded slowly. "Yes. My mother showed me how. Why do you ask?"

Ruby's head sagged. This WAS her fault. By changing events, she'd kept Pyrrha from saving Jaune's life. The champion must have deduced that Jaune hadn't had his aura unlocked yet, and done so herself sometime before encountering that Deathstalker. Pyrrha had been at the top of their class for a reason. She'd saved Jaune, but this time, this time Ruby had interfered, selfishly taking her as her own partner, and Jaune had died because of that.

"Ruby..." Pyrrha said softly. "Ruby, it wasn't your fault. It wasn't anyone's fault. Come. We... we should go. It would not honor our friend's loss to fail this initiation."

"Honor his loss?" Ruby looked up at Pyrrha's face, now crying openly, not understanding the words.

"Jaune was our friend." Pyrrha acknowledged. "But he would want us to go on. To succeed and become huntresses. We won't forget him, but we cannot let his death define us."

Ruby sagged, then slowly got to her feet, keeping her back to Jaune's body. "Oh Jaune. I'm so sorry."

Overhead, Ruby heard the screech of a Nevermore, and she glanced up, noticing the huge avian Grimm heading in the direction that she was pretty sure that the relics were in.

Ruby remembered. The Nevermore. The Deathstalker. They'd both come to the ruin where the relics were kept. She couldn't be sure things would happen the same way, but regardless, Yang could be in trouble. Blake could be in trouble. Ren and Nora could be in trouble. Jaune was dead, but she couldn't let anyone else suffer because of the changes she'd made.

"Right." She said firmly, wiping her tears away with her sleeve. "We should go. The others could be in trouble."

Pyrrha nodded firmly, helping Ruby to her feet. "Let's go check on your sister, shall we?"

Ruby smiled gratefully up at the taller girl. "Yang's tough. But... there are some pretty big Grimm out here. Better to face them as a group if we can."

Pyrrha glanced upwards at the huge Nevermore that was now circling in the sky over where Ruby thought the relics must be. "I agree. We should hurry."

Ruby sniffed and started jogging in that direction. "We won't let anyone else die today."

Pyrrha grunted agreement as she fell in beside Ruby, matching her speed effortlessly. "No we won't."

It took a couple minutes of running, but they reached the ruin quickly enough. Yang and Blake were firing up at the Nevermore from the cover of the ruin, while Ren and Nora fired from the trees.

Ruby took in the situation in an instant. The Nevermore seemed content to stay high above it's prey for the moment, and dozens of it's enormous feathers littered the ground around the ruin. They needed a plan. And where was Weiss?

Weiss came up behind Ruby and Pyrrha a few moments later, with a short boy carrying a collapsible staff jogging up next to her. "What's the situation?" Weiss asked quietly, glancing up at the enormous bird. "Is this where the relics are?"

Ruby pointed at the ruin. "They're in there, I think. But we've got to deal with that Nevermore first." She frowned as she thought. Drawing the Nevermore all the way to the ruins near the cliffs like last time was a possibility, but without the Deathstalker adding to the fight, she was sure they could deal with the single Grimm here.

"I need to get above it." Ruby decided. "Everyone come on!" She started running toward the ruin, firing Crescent Rose to propel her up to land on top of the crumbled wall surrounding the area containing the relics. Weiss joined her a second later, propelled by one of her speed glyphs.

"You want to get above it, you say?" Weiss said, sounding curious. "Any idea as to how?"

Ruby nodded as Pyrrha ran to the base of the wall under her. "Pyrrha, Yang, everyone, get over here and start shooting! Draw it toward us!"

Yang shrugged and raced over to join Pyrrha by the base of the wall, as did Blake, Ren, and Nora. The five of them started to fire at the Nevermore, hitting it over and over and definitely getting it's attention. The short boy who'd been with Weiss used his collapsible staff to launch himself up to the top of the wall next to Ruby and Weiss, then he shortened his staff again.

"How can I help?" The boy asked politely.

Ruby eyed his staff thoughtfully. "That staff uses compressed gas cylinders? How high could you launch me with that?"

The boy shrugged. "Twenty feet, maybe, if you jumped at the same time?"

Ruby nodded, glancing to Weiss. "Could you put one of your glyph thingies about twenty feet above us, in a position where I could launch toward the Nevermore?"

Weiss looked quickly at the approaching Grimm, then nodded. "Certainly."

Ruby opened Crescent Rose fully, then nodded to the boy who's name she didn't know. "Get ready."

The boy shortened the staff till it was only about a foot tall, then placed one end on the wall, then glanced at Ruby. Ruby put one foot on the other end of the staff, and lowered her center of gravity so she was balanced on it.

"Ready."

The Nevermore screamed and started to dive, and the boy hit a button on the staff, causing it to expand explosively to it's full six feet of length, sending Ruby flying into the air. Weiss gestured, and a white glyph appeared in her path, angled to one side. Ruby landed on it and jumped, and Ruby heard her sister scream her name as the Nevermore opened it's massive beak to snap her out of the air as it came in.

Ruby grinned and activated her semblance in mid air, spiraling past the Nevermore's massive head and neck. Ruby came out of her semblance and slammed Crescent Rose into the shoulder joint of it's left wing, the blade sticking in nearly a foot. The Grimm carried her away, and she heard Yang scream her name once more.

Ruby just grinned to herself. She was exactly where she wanted to be. Firing Crescent Rose over and over again, she ripped the enormous scythe blade back through the Grimm's wing, till, after the third shot, Crescent Rose came free, severing the Nevermore's left wing entirely from it's body.

Ruby fell free of the massive bird, whooping in delight as the air rushed past her. It'd worked! Spinning her weapon, she fired Crescent Rose several times toward the ground to bleed off her falling speed, and landed hard, her aura taking the damage without an issue. Behind her, the Nevermore crashed into the ground a moment later.

Yang grinned brightly at her younger sister as she raced past her, leaping upon the wounded Grimm with her fist raised for a punch. Nora was right behind her, then Pyrrha, then Blake.

The four warrior women leapt onto the Nevermore's body, punching, hammering and stabbing as the Grimm thrashed about trying to right itself. Ren raced in a moment later, firing his machine pistols into it's underside as it tried to stand.

Ruby calmly rose to her full height, and simply watched, Crescent Rose in rifle mode in case one of her friends needed assistance. But it wasn't needed. The short boy who'd come in with Weiss ran up to stop beside Ruby, his staff converted into some sort of rifle mode, and the two of them watched as the others leaped down from the Grimm's disintegrating body.

"Hi." The boy said. "My name's Jack. Jack Spriggin."

"Ruby." Ruby answered back. "Ruby Rose."

"Nice to meet you Ruby Rose."

"Nice to meet you, Jack Spriggin."

The Grimm slain, Yang made her way back to Ruby's side, grabbing her up in a tight hug. "That was CRAZY, little sister."

"Crazy awesome." Ruby corrected.

"True." Yang agreed. "I'm so proud of you. That was really amazing."

Pyrrha jogged up, looking pleased as well. "I have to agree with your sister, Ruby, that WAS quite impressive."

Ruby beamed at the praise, then her face fell. "Well, we probably should grab our relics."

Pyrrha's expression grew grave as well. "Yes, I suppose you're right. We should move out before more Grimm approach."

Ruby walked up to the ruin, accompanied by the others. Nora rushed ahead, grabbing a castle piece, and started to sing about being queen of the castle, but Ruby glanced at her sister, then sidled up to her. "Which piece did you pick?" she whispered.

"One of the gold pony ones?" Yang whispered back, catching on.

Ruby nodded and hurried forward, noting with relief that the second gold knight piece was still there. She grabbed it immediately and slipped it into one of the pouches on her belt.

Jack walked up a moment later, then grabbed a gold castle piece. He nodded to her, then went back towards Weiss, who was headed their way at a more leisurely pace.

"So... Jack passes initiation instead of Jaune." Ruby murmured to herself. "What else have I changed?"

As the group of eight students made their way back to the cliffs outside Beacon, Ruby's elation at defeating the Nevermore and helping her sister and the others pass initiation faded quickly into a growing depression. She'd as good as killed Jaune with her own hands. His death was her fault. She couldn't even explain what happened to the others. Even if they believed her story about traveling through time, they'd realize the truth, that she'd abandoned Jaune to die out of her selfish desire to get on a team with Pyrrha. It wasn't even subtle. Pyrrha obviously realized that Ruby had sought her out on purpose. Ruby was glad that the Mistralian champion didn't hold her maneuvering against her, but surely if she knew the truth, that if Ruby hadn't interfered that Pyrrha would have saved Jaune and become his partner instead, surely Pyrrha would never forgive her.

Yang, of course, noticed her younger sister's darkening mood as they headed back to the school. "Hey sis, what's wrong? We got the relics, beat that Nevermore... we're home free! What's the matter?"

Ruby shook her head, not willing to answer, and Pyrrha spoke up in her place. "I'm afraid Jaune... the blond haired boy with the sword and shield? I'm sorry to say he was killed."

Yang looked shocked and appropriately horrified at the news. "Oh my god! That's terrible! How did...?"

Pyrrha shook her head. "It appeared that he died on impact. I can't imagine how, but he must not have had his aura activated when he hit the forest floor."

Yang's eyes were wide. "Oh wow. I'm... I'm so sorry." She grabbed Ruby from behind, hugging her tightly. "Gosh Ruby, that had to be awful."

Ruby let Yang hug her, the small group of students stopping as a group and growing silent.

"Damn." Jack said with sympathy. "I guess you knew him?"

Ruby nodded slowly. "He was the first friend I made here."

Weiss turned her head away from the others. "It was horrible. And I was so mean to him. I wish I could take back some of the things I said."

Pyrrha put a hand on Weiss's shoulder to try and comfort the heiress. "You didn't cause his death, and a few... miss-chosen words don't make you a bad person. Jaune wasn't the most... sophisticated person, but he seemed like a good man."

Nora was uncharacteristically silent, and Ren put a hand on her shoulder as well, offering the usually peppy girl his own silent comfort.

Yang kept hugging her sister, and the group stood in silence for a minute, everyone lost in their own thoughts.

Finally, Ruby pulled herself free of her sister's embrace. "Jaune was my friend, and I'm not going to forget him. But we're here to learn to be hunters and huntresses. That's not a safe thing to be. I won't let anyone else die if I can help it though. We all need to watch out for each other from now on."

Everyone looked at each other, and a unspoken determination seemed to fill the group.

"You're right, sis." Yang affirmed. "We'll protect each other and make sure we all make it through Beacon together."

One by one, the others nodded agreement. Looking about, they each seemed to take stock of the faces of the people around them, truly looking at each other for the first time in some cases.

Weiss grunted. "No one else dies."

Pyrrha nodded firmly. "Not while we draw breath."

The heiress and the champion met each other's eyes, and understanding passed between them.

The slight boy named Jack shrugged. "That's why we're here, right? To protect people. Guess we've got to protect each other first though."

Ren smiled faintly at that. "Well said."

Nora tapped her hammer against the ground a couple times in emphasis. "Hell yeah. We've got each other's backs, right?"

Yang grinned. "Hell yeah we do."

It was a somber but determined group which reached the top of the cliffs. Glynda Goodwitch was waiting for them, although Ozpin was missing.

"I take it you're all aware of what occurred with Mister Jaune Arc?" Glynda asked softly. "Professor Ozpin and Professor Port have gone to... collect the body. There will be an investigation into the circumstances of his entrance... but the details are unimportant. What matters is that you all did well. Congratulations on passing your initiation."

Ruby was lost in thought for the next few hours. It wasn't until her team was called up onto the stage during the initiation ceremony that she managed to pay attention again.

"Ruby Rose, Pyrrha Nikos, Blake Belladonna, Yang Xaio-Long, the four of you retrieved the white knight pieces, and together you will form team RPBY (Ruby), lead by Ruby Rose." Ozpin told them, sounding proud.

Ruby tried to smile, but her heart wasn't in it. She and the other members of her team walked off the stage while Weiss Schnee, Jack Spriggin, Li Ren and Nora Valkyrie came up onto the stage to become team WJNR, or team Winter, lead by Weiss Schnee.

"Team leader..." Ruby said quietly. "Good for you, Weiss. You deserve it."

The tired group made their way to their new dorm room, which Ruby noted with some pleasure was the same room she'd been assigned in the previous timeline, and, exhausted, they'd only taken time for some quick showers before heading to bed.

The next morning, Ruby was up early, planning. Things would be different this time, she was certain of it. Different, and better. Jaune's death had shocked her. She was, to be honest with herself, still reeling, but she put that out of her mind and focused on the future.

"Bunk beds!" Ruby announced, out of the blue, as everyone was just finishing up getting dressed for the day.

"What's that, sis?" Yang asked, looking curious.

"Bunk beds!" Ruby repeated. "We should turn the beds into bunk beds! We'd have more room for our stuff, and it'll be cool!"

Pyrrha blinked, looking at the heavy looking wooden beds in some concern. "I don't know if these beds are meant to be used as bunk beds, Ruby." she cautioned.

"It'll be fine!" Ruby reassured her. "I totally know what I'm doing!"

Blake shrugged. "We can try it, I guess."

Ruby grinned, and got to work. It was easier the second time than the first, and turned out just as well. When they were done, the girls looked at Ruby's bed, hanging from the ceiling, and Blake's, supported by some of Blake's sturdier books, with varying levels of confidence. Blake seemed to be a bit torn by having so much of her reading material out of reach. Pyrrha seemed mildly dubious of how stable the beds were, but apparently decided to err on the side of being supportive. Yang just grinned and gave Ruby a thumb's up.

"Don't worry!" Ruby assured Pyrrha. "They'll stay up fine. Trust me."

Pyrrha chuckled. "I'll take your word for it, Ruby. I suppose that even in the worse case, we do have our aura to protect us." she had been grinning as she said it, but her face fell a moment later. So did everyone else's. Nobody said it, but Ruby knew what Pyrrha's words had reminded them of. Jaune hadn't had aura, and he'd died because of it. They'd avoided talking about it, trying to focus on other things, but the wound was still fresh.

Ruby swallowed hard, checking her scroll for the time. "We... we'd better get going. Class starts in ten minutes. We have Professor Port's Grimm Studies first this morning."

Yang moved in to give her younger sister a quick hug. "You're doing great, Rubes." She turned to go quickly, hiding her own pain behind a quick smile for the others. "Well, it'd be bad form to be late on our first day, right?"

Pyrrha and Blake nodded in agreement, both still looking subdued, and the four girls headed out the door to class. Weiss's team had beaten them there, and Ruby and her team took up a row to the left of team WJNR, sitting as a group. Before long the rest of the students had found places, and Professor Port began his lecture.

Ruby couldn't help but giggle as the professor started his lesson. She remembered how silly his stories had been, and even his saucy wink at Yang when he'd talked about huntresses was more over the top than creepy. Professor Port was actually kind of sweet, if loud, overbearing, and very, very boring.

Ruby hadn't forgotten about how boring one of Port's lessons could be. Listening to Port talk about his past was worse than listening to one of Nora's stories. With Nora, at least, Ren's commentary kept things interesting, but with Port, well, the man just seemed to ramble on about everything and nothing. He boasted, but it wasn't really clear what exactly he'd done. Ruby tried to pay attention, she really did, but the second run-through did not make his stories any easier to stay awake all the way through.

She did, however, keep glancing at the cage in the back corner of the room. She knew the cage had a Borbatusk in it. Weiss fighting the Grimm during that first class period had been one of the most memorable events of the previous year for her.

When Port asked for a volunteer to fight the Borbatusk, however, rather than Weiss, it was Weiss's partner, the small boy who'd showed up with Weiss at the ruins. Ruby perked up. He'd had a cool expanding staff, that, as was pretty standard nowadays, could be used as a rifle. She hadn't gotten a really good look at it though, and she was extremely curious as to how it shifted and functioned. She hadn't seen that particular design before, although it did have some similarities to Pyrrha's Milo.

"Go Jack!" Nora yelled at the boy. Jack Spriggin, that was his name, Ruby recalled, had finished changing into his combat gear and walked out in front of the class, facing the cage with an air of forced nonchalance.

"What a little twerp." Ruby heard Cardin Winchester grouse from the row behind her. "How old is he anyway? Twelve?"

Ruby grimaced at the bully's' insensitive comment. It was true, Jack was pretty small. He was even shorter than she was. About Nora's height, maybe, and he was obviously pretty slender as well. He probably was less than a hundred pounds, even with the few pieces of armor he was wearing. Jack had leather gauntlets on his forearms, and knee-high leather boots with thick, heavy looking soles. He wore black denim trousers, a white shirt and a leather vest with numerous belts and buckles across the front. He had quite a few pockets scattered about, several large ones on his pants, pockets on his vest, and a belt with pouches. His collapsible staff was attached to the middle of the small of his back, much like Ruby carried Crescent Rose, and he pulled it out smoothly as he waited for the Professor to open the cage.

Professor Port did so with a flourish, smashing the cage open with his signature weapon, an axe/blunderbuss that seemed older than Port himself, and the Borbatusk came out at a run.

Jack dodged to one side, extending his staff and giving the Grimm a solid strike to one armored flank as it went by, but the hit had little effect. The boy seemed quick, and strong for his size, but he didn't seem to have the mass or strength to deliver a blow that could break the Borbatusk's armor.

"Go for the belly!" Ruby yelled her encouragement.

Jack was circling, swatting at the armored Grimm as it charged him a second time. He didn't acknowledge the advice, but his second strike DID hit lower on the Grimm's body, and it sounded like his second hit had caught the creature in the solidly in an unarmored place.

The Borbatusk slowed, turning to face the small boy squarely this time, and approached more cautiously. Jack spun his staff, gaining momentum with it, and cracked the Grimm a couple times in the face, although the creature caught the second blow on it's tusks, knocking the staff aside and taking a swipe for the young hunter's chest.

Jack jumped back, but the Borbatusk followed, swiping at him again and again as if sensing weakness. Jack moved backwards faster, then leaped to the side and started to sprint, circling around the Grimm.

Cardin laughed cruelly. "Run little man!"

As he ran, Jack shortened his staff back into it's default configuration, then twisted one part. The Borbatusk spun around to face him, then charged a second time, and Jack lowered himself nearly to the ground, placing one end of the staff against the floor, and pointing the other end toward his charging foe. Pressing a button on the side, the staff expanded with a whoosh just as the Borbatusk was about to reach him, slamming it hard right between the eyes. Then, as the Borbatusk stumbled back, a spear head popped out of that end with another whoosh of compressed air. Jack leaped forward, stabbing the monster in the gap between the Borbatusk's back right leg and it's body, then shoved, using his staff as a lever to slowly push the wounded monster over. Jack ripped his transformed spear free as the Borbatusk fell on it's side, squealing with rage, and jabbed it in again at the now exposed belly. He pulled the spear out and jabbed it in again, and then again, and a fourth time, as the monster squirmed and tried to get to it's feet, and finally, the monster quivered, then started to dissolve.

"Well fought!" Professor Port told him enthusiastically. "I see we have a true huntsman in our midst!"

"A tiny baby huntsman, maybe..." Cardin grumbled, too quietly for Port to overhear, perhaps, but the comment made Ruby clench her teeth. Cardin was still the bully she remembered, and now he had someone even weaker than Jaune to pick on. Well, maybe not weaker, but Jack Spriggin WAS, at the very least, one of the smallest boys in the school. Even Weiss was bigger than him. His staff was pretty cool though.

The class was dismissed, and Ruby paused to go down and give the boy some encouragement. "Hey!" She said cheerfully. "That was pretty cool. I like your staff."

Jack had been busy wiping down the spear portion of his staff, and as she came up, he blinked slowly. "Oh. Er. Thanks, I guess?"

When she was right up to him she noted, that indeed, she was looking down slightly to meet his eyes. He was so small! But she'd been small all of her life, and when had that ever stopped her?

"So... I noticed you were using it as a rifle during initiation. How does that work? I don't see any place for a magazine...?" Ruby asked, genuinely curious.

Jack blinked. "Oh. Yeah, I had to make it modular, to save space. I wanted something pretty small so that I could carry it anywhere without it knocking into stuff." He fiddled with the staff, causing the spear head to retract, then rotated one section to show a four inch long slot along one side. Reaching into a belt pouch, he pulled out a medium sized magazine, and slid it into the slot, then grabbed the other end of the staff and twisted and scrunched it so it made for a rifle stock he slid in against his shoulder. "Only eight rounds, and I can't fire it in spear or staff form..." he said, a bit deprecatingly. "But it's nice and small..."

"Like you!" Ruby commented happily, then turned bright red. "Er... not that you're small! I mean, I'm small, who cares, right?"

Jack gaped at her in astonishment, and she could hear someone loudly slapping themselves in the head from somewhere behind her. Probably Yang, but the small boy finally just grinned at her. "Yeah, I'm pretty short. I've always been the shortest guy my age I knew... except for this mouse faunus that was in my last school. He was tiny!" He shruged. "My dad says I've still got a lot of growing to do though, and he's really tall."

Her sister Yang came up behind Ruby. "Late bloomer, huh? That's cool. I kind of thought you might be my sister's age."

Jack looked from Yang to Ruby, then back. "Twins?" he guessed.

Yang blinked. "Er... what?"

Jack pointed from one to the other. "Well, you're both in the first year together, and you're sisters. So either you're fraternal twins or one of you is adopted, right?"

Yang gaped at him, then laughed. "No, no. Ruby is two years younger than me. She's the youngest person to go to Beacon, from what I heard."

Jack blushed. "Oh. Oops? Sorry about that."

Yang shrugged. "No big deal. I can't believe you're actually seventeen though!"

Jack flushed darker. "My birthday was last week. Like you said, I'm a late bloomer."

Ruby smiled at him. "Well, even if you never get any bigger, I think you're doing great. And your staff is awesome. Did you make it yourself?"

Jack grinned. "Sure did. My dad had to help a bit with the first few parts. Till I got used to the machine tools in our shop, anyway. Took me four months to finish her."

Ruby nodded appreciatively. "We had to make our own weapons at Signal too. What's her name?"

Jack pulled out the magazine, put it away, then retracted the staff back to the foot long cylinder it had started out as. "Tempest." My dad was always saying I made a racket like a thunderstorm when I was practicing with her, so it seemed appropriate."

Ruby grinned. "Cool."

Weiss was standing by the exit, tapping her foot impatiently. "Jack! We've got Professor Oobleck's class next! You can hit on girls on your own time!"

Jack flushed. "I'm not hitting on girls! We're talking about weapons!"

Weiss rolled her eyes. "Whatever. I'm not having my partner show up late for any classes on his first day."

Jack sighed. "Fine, fine, I'm coming."

Ruby and Yang fell in behind him. "We're going to Ooblecks class next too. I guess we probably shouldn't be late either." Ruby murmured softly.

"I honestly don't know what the rush is. There's a half hour break between classes..." Jack complained back to them, loud enough for Ruby and Yang to hear, but softly enough that Weiss couldn't make out what he was saying. He joined up with Weiss at the door, and the two of them walked off.

"Your performance was... acceptable." Ruby heard Weiss saying as the two of them walked off.

/-/

Classes were progressing much as Ruby remembered them from the first time. In some ways, things were going much better. Ruby had been two years behind in the coursework at Beacon her last time through, and this time she was already pretty familiar with most of what they were studying. It was good, in that it enabled her to answer most of the questions posed by the professors in class pretty easily, and her homework wasn't nearly as hard as she remembered it being the first time through, but it was bad, in that classes were more boring then ever. Staying awake in class was really hard. Ruby entertained herself by doodling in her notebook and daydreaming, but it was hard. The mildly disappointed looks that Pyrrha gave her when she caught Ruby sleeping in class were better motivation to do well than Weiss's complaining had been, however.

Nights were the hardest. Ruby was waking up from nightmares nearly every night. Yang was as supportive as always about it, and Pyrrha and Blake were understanding, but Ruby wanted to be stronger than that. Still, Jaune's death haunted her, and made her think of the last week of the previous timeline... or more specifically, that last, horrible day when Beacon had fallen.

Ruby woke up from one particularly bad dream where Jaune's mangled body in the forest transformed into Penny, torn apart by her own wires, then Pyrrha, laying dead and motionless on the ground, broken and mangled like Jaune had been. Ruby was jolted out of the bad dream by a hand shaking her shoulder lightly.

Ruby blinked blearily up at the face of Pyrrha Nikos, who seemed both worried and slightly embarrassed at the same time. "Ruby... Ruby, it's fine, I'm fine."

Ruby blushed as she realized she'd been crying out in her sleep again. "I'm... I'm sorry Pyrrha. I keep waking you up in the middle of the night." She glanced over at Yang, who'd taken to wearing earplugs, and who seemed to be sleeping soundly, and under Yang's bunk, at Blake, who's stiff shoulders told her she was only pretending to sleep. Ruby winced, knowing that the faunus's keen hearing was probably not particularly helpful for sleeping through a roomate having nightmares nearly every night.

Pyrrha shook her head, then put her arms up to rest on Ruby's bed. "Ruby... why were you calling my name?"

Ruby blushed harder. "I... I was dreaming about Jaune, but then it changed, and it was you on the ground, all..." she shut up, not wanting to go into detail, but Pyrrha appeared to follow her train of thought regardless.

"Jaune's death wasn't your fault, Ruby. And I'm not going to die. You know that, right?" Pyrrha said, trying to be reassuring.

Ruby looked away from the championship fighter, not wanting to meet her eyes. "Any of us can die, Pyrrha. I know you're strong. You're probably the strongest in our year..." she chuckled, meeting the tall girl's eyes now. "Although don't tell Yang I said so. But being strong isn't always enough."

Ruby hesitated, then decided to share a bit. "I've told you that my mom and dad used to go to Beacon, right?"

Pyrrha nodded slowly. "You did mention that, I believe. They were on a team together?"

Ruby nodded in agreement. "Right. Team STRQ, team Stark. Summer Rose, Taiyang Xaio-Long, Raven and Qrow Branwen. They were the strongest team of their year. They were incredible. My dad says my mom was probably the strongest fighter he'd ever known."

Pyrrha smiled. "I have no doubt. Seeing you fight... and at fifteen! If she was anything like you, she must have been amazing."

Ruby sighed. "She was the leader of her team too. And everyone said team STRQ were unstoppable. Unbeatable. But no one is really unbeatable. My mom went out on a mission when I was young, and she never came back. Any of us can end up facing something, someone, stronger. Anyone can fall."

Pyrrha sighed. "I know that's true, Ruby. There have been many great huntresses and huntsmen among my family over the centuries, and many of them fell in battle. There is a saying... for it is in passing that we achieve immortality. Everyone must face death eventually, each of us does so on their own terms. As huntresses, we chose a path of danger. But I won't die any time soon. We're still in school, after all. Nothing is going to attack us here."

Ruby swallowed, suddenly wanting to tell Pyrrha... what? To tell her that she'd be killed before the end of the Vital Festival? She'd never believe it, and besides, Ruby was going to change things. Pyrrha WASN'T going to die.

"You're right." Ruby lied. "I'm sure we'll be fine. I mean, there are missions even before the first year is over, but we'll look out for each other. We'll all be fine."

Pyrrha nodded. "I promise, I'll look out for you, Ruby. And I won't go down easily myself, either."

Ruby smiled wanly. "Right back at you, Pyrrha." She sighed, then yawned, stretching. "Thanks... but it's late, and we're keeping Blake up."

Blake stiffened, then turned to face them. "It's... don't worry about it, Ruby. I'm a light sleeper, that's all."

Ruby smiled apologetically. "And I keep waking you up. I really am sorry, but I'll get better. I promise."

Blake shook her head and smiled. "Never apologize for who you are, Ruby. You have a good heart. I'm sure with time your nightmares will fade, but don't apologize for having them. None of us are upset at you about them."

Pyrrha sighed. "I have had my share of nightmares myself since initiation. I certainly can't blame you any for yours."

Ruby sniffed. "Thanks. You two are great. It's like I have three big sisters instead of only one."

Blake chuckled and, inexplicably, Pyrrha blushed.

Ruby raised an eyebrow, then giggled. "Just don't tell Yang I said that."

"Too late." Yang grumbled, then turned over and winked. "But seriously... it's cool. You and Blake can be fellow big sisters any time, Pyrrha. Ruby can use all the big sisters she can get!" she said jokingly.

The pillow that hit Yang in the face half a second later DID make Ruby feel better, even if it did start a pillow fight that ended up causing Weiss to rap loudly on their door and threaten to complain to Miss Goodwitch. Ruby certainly slept better afterwards.

* * *

**Some author's notes here.**

**If it wasn't already obvious, Ruby is the butterfly who's wings flapping changes the world. Changing Pyrrha's focus during initiation? Whoops. Jaune living through initiation in the original story was a bloody miracle, IMO, so without someone actively trying to save him, splat.**

**So we have an OC. It was that, or have a three man team somewhere, and it seems obvious that there were more students lining up to jump off that cliff than the ones we see graduating. There wouldn't have been only 11 surviving members, so someone who otherwise might not have passed because Jaune ended up partnering with Pyrrha and showed a surprising amount of competence during the fight against the Deathstalker, will end up passing initiation in their place.**

**So, Jack Spriggin. A official no-prize to anyone who figures out HIS particular mythological origins. RWBY uses fairy tail characters, so for the new OC, I kept with that particular naming convention. Jack isn't going to be the focus of the story, but he will take up Jaune's place in the storyline in a few ways. After all, Cardin needs SOMEBODY to bully. The focus of the story, obviously, is on Ruby, and her team.**

**As for Canon or non-canon ships? No spoilers, but obviously Arkos is dead in the water. Renora is probably going to be in there, as much as it is in the show, anyway, and we might see some other people pairing off... but romance isn't the main focus here, and it'll be more interesting for the readers to find out along the way, won't it?**


	3. Chapter 3

It had been nearly a week now, and Ruby was getting settled into the swing of things. Team RPBY and team WJNR had formed a rather close bond since initiation. Fighting giant monsters together had that effect, Ruby had noticed, and she was perfectly content with the situation. Weiss may not be on her team this time, but they shared classes, and she got to talk to the heiress during lunch as well! Weiss was at least nominally polite to Ruby during lunch, but Ruby could tell the white-haired girl was slowly warming up to her. It was only a matter of time till they were great friends again, she was certain.

Jack's presence at their table was, for her, a bit of a novelty, so Ruby spent more than a little time getting to know the smaller boy. One thing that seemed to have remained the same from her previous timeline was that Cardin was always a bully, and in the absence of Jaune, Jack seemed to be one of his favorite targets of choice.

Jack was a shy young man. Quiet, most of the time. He seemed to read a lot as well, something Ruby found easy to relate too. He had similar tastes to hers when it came to his reading material, and she, Blake and Jack sometimes talked about books during quiet moments at the lunch table. He kept his head down when Cardin was around, and seemed to ignore the taunts and verbal bullying Cardin inflicted upon him.

The more physical side of the bullying, however, didn't go quite so well for the larger boy as Ruby remembered it. Jack might have been shy in public, but he seemed to have more of a backbone when it came to protecting himself from actual attack. He was faster than Cardin, and quite agile, and several times Ruby had thought Cardin was on the verge of shoving the small boy or striking him, Jack had avoided the attack, which had caused Cardin to, on several occasions, either punch a wall or locker, or run headfirst into a doorjam. Ruby would be amused by the situation, except that Cardin didn't seem to be taking the hint. He'f started stepping up his bullying, and Ruby was afraid it was going to get serious before too much longer.

Still, at the moment, Cardin wasn't picking on Jack. Instead, he and his team had sat down on all sides of Velvet Scarlatina, and were starting to harass the nervous rabbit faunus.

Ruby's fists tightened. This had happened before, in her previous timeline, and she'd sat like a lump and let it happen. She wasn't big and strong like Yang, and she couldn't go get Crescent Rose just to stop a bully... but she'd felt terrible for letting Cardin bully Velvet like that the last time. She couldn't let it happen again, could she?

Cardin reached for Velvet's left ear, and grabbed it, and Ruby's hands hit the table with a thump, and she shot to her feet. "No."

Ruby started to walk over towards Cardin, and the sounds in the cafeteria seemed to die as her heart started to hammer wildly in her chest. "Let her go, Cardin!" She yelled, only to realize that the cafeteria really HAD gone quiet, and her voice echoed through the room loud enough that every single student there had turned to see what was going on.

"What the hell do you want?" Cardin growled, not letting go of Velvet's ear.

"I said..." Ruby swallowed, forcing herself to keep going. "I said, let her go." Her voice cracked and she knew she was sounding kind of squeaky, but it seemed to be the best she could do.

"Or what?" Cardin answered back, looking supremely confident.

"Or we'll kick your ass from here into next week, that's what." Yang's voice came hard but confident from just behind Ruby's left shoulder.

"Exactly." Pyrrha Nikos said, iron in her voice from behind her right shoulder.

Ruby felt her heart slow, and her breathing eased immediately.

Nora came bouncing up, looking eager. "Can I break his legs?"

Cardin's eyes had started to go wide, then they narrowed in rage. Nevertheless, the large boy wasn't suicidal, and he released Velvet's ears and raised his hands in mock surrender. "Sure, sure. Faunus loving dykes..." he muttered.

"Asshole says what?" Yang shot back with a grin.

"What?" Cardin said automatically. "What did you call me?"

Yang just chuckled, as did quite a few people in the crowd. Yang wasn't necessarily the most popular girl in school, but she was pretty good for a laugh, and today was no exception.

"Just go, Cardin." Pyrrha said with a tired sigh. "Before things get ugly."

Cardin snorted and stomped off, and Ruby took a deep, relieved breath. It was over, and nobody had gotten hurt...

There was a sudden clatter of metal on tile, and everyone turned to see Cardin sprawled on the Cafeteria floor. Just behind him, Jack Spriggin pulled his leg in from where it was, for SOME reason, stuck out across the aisle where Cardin had been walking.

Cardin surged to his feet, eyes promising murder, but Jack just looked at him with no expression. "Sorry. Didn't see you there." He said, his voice cracking slightly from nerves, but from the tone, he was doing his best to imitate Cardin's own teasing voice. It was, actually, now that Ruby thought about it, something Cardin did like to say when he'd tripped or pushed someone.

There were more sniggers, but before Cardin could do anything to the small boy, Yang and Nora were crowding up eagerly, looking at the tall boy with a certain amount of anticipation of the possible fight.

Another, almost feral growl ripped out of the tall bully and he stalked off, his teammates running after him to catch up as he left the cafeteria.

Velvet sighed and came up beside Ruby. "Thanks Ruby, but you didn't have to do that."

Ruby turned to face the shy rabbit faunus and smiled. "Maybe. But I wanted to. Cardin's a bully. It's time somebody stood up to him."

Velvet smiled shyly. "Well, I really do appreciate it. That was very brave of you."

Yang walked back to her younger sister and clapped her on the shoulder. "Well, I'm proud of you, Rubes. Everyone else was just going to sit there and watch, but you actually did something. That takes a lot of guts."

Pyrrha was beaming. "Indeed. Very good, Ruby."

Ruby found her eyes drawn towards Blake. The hidden cat faunus hadn't moved during the confrontation, but now she was looking right at Ruby, and smiling proudly at her. Ruby felt a warm sensation fill her at her team's praise. She couldn't believe she hadn't done this the first time! This was great!

Nora sounded disappointed. "Darn it. He didn't stay for the leg breaking."

/-/

That wasn't the end of Cardin's bullying, naturally. Things started to come to a head in Combat Class later that week. Combat class was her favorite, especially as, for some reason she hadn't worked out, the fight pairings had been different than they had been during the original timeline. She wondered idly how that had changed, but decided it wasn't really all that important. More and more things were happening differently than she remembered, and she tried to tell herself that the differences were a good thing. It meant that things wouldn't go the way they had the first time, right?

When Miss Goodwitch called Jack Spriggin up to face Cardin Winchester in the arena, however, Ruby started paying more attention. Cardin's team hooted and hollered as the large boy stepped up onto the stage, and when the smallest boy in school walked up on stage to face him, the difference in size between them was almost shocking. Cardin had a foot and a half of height on the smaller boy at least, and was quite a bit more than twice Jack's weight. Ruby knew better than to judge a fight based solely on size, she wasn't all that big herself, but Jack was just so tiny compared to the bully.

Miss Goodwitch seemed indifferent to the hush that went over the onlookers as she called for the fight to begin, although it was obvious everyone was pretty much holding their breath to see how it would go.

Jack did well at first. He was faster and more agile than Cardin, and he used his collapsible staff well, parrying Cardin's heavy mace easily and slipping in light hits past the bigger man's guard whenever Cardin overextended himself for a swing.

Cardin, however, hadn't earned his place in Beacon for nothing. He gave a huge swing that seemed to let Jack inside his guard, and Jack took advantage, stepping inside the bigger boy's reach and slamming his staff into Cardin's side. Cardin's aura dropped noticeably, but he took the opportunity to drop his mace and wrap his enormous arms around Jack before the small boy could get back out of reach. Jack had turned hard into the strike, and Cardin swept his hands under the small boy's armpits, then up and around so that Cardin had both of his hands on the back of Jack's head, pinning both of Jack's arms over his head. Jack dropped his staff and struggled, but Cardin had no trouble keeping him from escaping. Cardin lifted the small boy into the air and squeezed, pushing down on the small boy's neck with both hands.

Jack grit his teeth and struggled for all he was worth, and for a solid minute, the two boys strained and struggled. Jack couldn't get free, but Cardin didn't seem to be doing any real damage.

Ruby was paralyzed with terror for the small boy, and she whimpered slightly, but Pyrrha put a hand on her shoulder reassuringly.

"I wouldn't count Jack out just yet, Ruby. Cardin hasn't won yet." The championship fighter whispered quietly to her team leader.

Cardin abruptly threw himself forward, obviously trying to crush the small boy under his weight, but Jack got his legs under him immediately and shoved back, slamming Cardin's own interlocked hands into Cardin's own face on the rebound. Cardin growled and tried to swing Jack from side to side to make him lose his footing, but each time Cardin tried to bear the small boy to the ground, Jack got his feet under him before he could, and each time Jack got his feet on the floor, he punished Cardin for the mistake by ramming the big man's own hands into his face again with the back of his own head.

Ruby blinked, and the crowd started to murmur as the bizarre fight wore on. Cardin's team shouted support, but despite his successfully pinning the smaller boy's arms and head, he didn't seem to have a way to finish the fight, and it was obvious that Cardin was starting to tire, and to tire faster than the smaller boy.

After another minute of straining, Miss Goodwitch raised a hand. "And that's time. Match goes to Jack Spriggin."

Cardin shot her an incredulous look, maintaining his hold. He gestured with his chin. "What are you talking about? I've got him right where I want him!" he protested.

Miss Goodwitch simply raised an eyebrow. "A Full Nelson, as the hold you are attempting is named, is banned from most sports for a reason. Without aura, it's possible to injure your opponent's neck with the hold, but baring that, once you have someone in a Full Nelson, there is almost nothing you can do with them. As you should have realized by yourself by now." She paused. "Mister Spriggin's aura is still in the green, while yours is in the yellow, and the time for the match has elapsed. Now, if you would be so kind as to release Mister Spriggin so we can go to the next match?"

Cardin growled as he released the smaller boy, giving him a rude shove as Jack stepped away from him. Jack moved with the shove, however, and his steps barely staggered as he exited the ring, nodding once to Miss Goodwitch and giving his team the thumbs up as he came back toward the part of the arena team WJNR was sitting in.

Ruby glanced at Pyrrha with wide eyes. "You knew all that?"

Pyrrha nodded. "I have studied several different forms of unarmed combat as well as how to use my signature weapons, Ruby. Although I am not likely to be disarmed, it IS possible, and grappling techniques can be especially useful to a hunter, even used in conjunction with weapons."

Ruby wrinkled her nose thoughtfully. She never fought without Crescent Rose if she could help it, but in the previous timeline, in the back halls of the arena, she'd come face to face with Mercury Black without her weapon, and she'd been all but helpless. Roman Torchwick had also disarmed her several times during their fight on top of the battleship, and she had been in serious trouble.

"Maybe I should learn some of that unarmed combat stuff..." she murmured softly.

"I would be glad to give you some instruction in what styles I know, if you'd like?" Pyrrha said back to her quietly.

Ruby beamed at the champion. "That'd be great, Pyrrha! Maybe we should get the whole team involved!"

Pyrrha blinked, and something flashed over her face almost too quickly for Ruby to catch it. Disappointment? But it was gone in a moment, and Pyrrha simply smiled and nodded. "That sounds lovely."

The idea for some group hand to hand training went farther than Ruby expected, as when they'd heard about it, all of team WJNR save Weiss were interested in the idea.

Ruby, remembering what they'd done for team training back in the months before the Vital festival the previous timeloop, got Miss Goodwitch's permission to use the Combat Class arena for their practice, and they scheduled for the two teams to meet there the following night.

All eight members of the two teams showed up on time. Weiss, although not thrilled about the idea, had apparently been badgered into showing up as well by Nora.

Pyrrha welcomed them all with a smile, and she stepped into the role of instructor with surprising grace. "I'd really like to see where everyone is in terms of skill in hand to hand before we begin..." she started, looking around.

"We should have a martial arts tournament!" Nora announced excitedly.

Ruby raised her hands in agreement. "That sounds awesome!" Nora gave her a high five as the two short girls grinned at each other.

Weiss groaned. "I'm going to end up sweaty and exhausted by the end of this, I know it."

Yang grinned at her. "In a good way?"

Weiss rolled her eyes and huffed.

Pyrrha chuckled. "Well, it's not the worst idea I've ever heard. We should probably keep things relatively light. Perhaps matches, but only going down to the yellow? Otherwise we might not have time to get very far tonight."

The others agreed with various levels of enthusiasm and the first inter-team unarmed combat martial arts tournament between team RPBY and WJNR (as Nora insisted on calling it) got under way without too much fuss.

It was soon obvious that there were massive gaps in skill in the group. Yang, although she didn't have the wide breath of training that Pyrrha had in various styles, was pretty obviously the strongest hand to hand fighter of their group. Ren could give her a decent match, as could Blake, and but even Pyrrha had a great deal of difficulty beating Yang in a purely unarmed match. Yang's style was pretty straightforward, mostly punches and kicks, with only a few grappling moves thrown in, but taking away Ember Celica barely slowed Yang down at all, and, as Ruby well knew, Yang hit like a truck, armored shotgun gauntlets or no.

Ren's style was mainly based on evasion, with palm strikes and sweeping kicks thrown in. He was probably the third most skilled at unarmed combat after Yang and Pyrrha, but he was significantly weaker physically than either of them. Blake had a highly aerial style, and was quite skilled, but it wasn't as highly refined as the others.

"I didn't learn to fight in a school." She explained. "I was taught a bit by my parents, and by... other friends. I spent a lot of time outside the walls when I was younger, so you had to know how to defend yourself."

Ruby had to wonder about that. She had never heard what happened to Blake's parents. Were they still alive? She didn't remember Blake ever saying so one way or another, which was odd, for surely if she'd been an orphan she'd have been able to commiserate with Ren and Nora, or even herself and Yang over their shared losses? Still, Blake had always been reluctant to talk about herself. That was something Ruby decided would have to change. She wanted to get to know the cat faunus better this time. If she'd tried harder to get close to the mysterious girl the last time around, perhaps things wouldn't have gotten so ugly between her and Weiss.

Jack, surprisingly, was the next best. He was almost Ren's equal in skill, although he seemed to fight more like Yang, using punches and kicks and a few well practiced grappling moves. Despite his obvious preference for striking techniques (as Pyrrha called them) he was nearly impossible to pin down in a grapple. Even Pyrrha had trouble with him in a grapple, he was really surprisingly strong for his size. His size, however, was his largest weakness, as he lost out in reach to everyone, and in strength to everyone but Ruby, Weiss, and surprisingly, Ren. The fact that the tiny boy was actually more powerful physically than Ren came as a surprise to everyone but Ren, who accepted the smaller boy's physical prowess with calm equanimity. He still dominated Jack easily in hand to hand with his greater reach and slightly greater agility, and he was careful not to accept a wrestling match with the smaller boy.

Nora was, to Ruby's surprise, absolutely terrible at hand to hand. Her enormous strength (for her size) and physical resilience were top notch, but Nora had focused very thoroughly on fighting with her hammer, and was even worse at Ruby at the basics of hand to hand. That didn't help Ruby beat her in their match, unfortunately. The difference in strength was too great, and Ruby's speed didn't help her much at all when she didn't know how to capitalize on it with her bare hands.

Weiss was just a bit worse at hand to hand than Ruby was. She had some training, but hadn't practiced it much at all. On the other hand, Weiss's semblance was a huge factor in her fighting style, one she didn't need to hold a sword to use. Weiss could block attacks, toss her opponent's around, and bounce around the battlefield with ease with her glyphs, armed or not.

Their impromptu tournament took most of the evening, so they never actually got to any actual training, but regardless, Ruby was starting to like the idea. The next time she had to face someone without Crescent Rose, she wouldn't be nearly so defenseless, she was certain.

As they were headed back to their dorm rooms, the group as a whole still excited and cheerful, even Weiss having gotten into things by the end, they passed by the common room that they shared with several other teams from various years, and Ruby couldn't help but overhearing a name she knew, coming over the speaker of the large projector in the room.

"Again, Roman Torchwick is known to be armed and dangerous. If you see him, please report his location to the police immediately." Ruby ground to a halt, eyes going wide. Had she heard that right?

The others all paused and looked at the large projection of the inside of a news room, with the rather well known commentator, Lisa Lavender at the desk. "To repeat, earlier this evening, as Roman Torchwick was being transported back to jail from the courtroom, his transport was attacked by members of the White Fang, and Torchwick was freed. Torchwick, last seen escaping with members of the radical terrorist organization, is still at large and a city wide search for the criminal mastermind has begun."

Ruby gaped at the screen. Roman Torchwick had escaped? This was terrible! If he was free, he'd start helping the White Fang again, and do all the things that had led up to the attack on the Amity stadium and Beacon. What was she going to do?

Yang caught Ruby's worried expression and gave her a quick hug. "Hey, don't worry, Ruby. That guy isn't going to get anywhere near you. He's probably half way to Vacuo by now, anyway."

Ruby frowned, but didn't argue. What was she supposed to say, that she knew Roman wouldn't run? That he'd be responsible for helping the White Fang start a terrorist attack that would threaten to destroy all of Vale?

Ruby caught sight of Blake staring at the screen, her face a mask. Then she overheard Weiss.

"The White Fang? I should have known... what a bunch of criminal degenerates. Naturally they'd join forces with such a villainous fiend." Weiss paused, turning to Ruby. "You fought with Torchwick and his gang, didn't you Ruby? Did you know he was working with the White Fang?"

Ruby hesitated. "Well... he had a bunch of guys wearing black suits and sunglasses." She explained. "And red ties. They all had red ties. Like they were all part of the same singing group or something."

Yang blinked. "You didn't mention that part before. All of Roman's guys were in black suits?"

Ruby nodded. "Yeah. Why?"

Yang looked murderous. "Oh... no special reason."

Blake had turned to Weiss. "The White Fang isn't made up of degenerates. They're a collection of misguided faunus."

Weiss crossed her arms over her chest. "Misguided! They want to wipe humanity off the face of the planet!"

Blake huffed. "So they're VERY misguided. Either way, it doesn't explain why they would do something like break Roman Torchwick out of prison!"

Ruby started to panic. She REMEMBERED this argument, and it wouldn't end well. There was a moment of silence, and Ruby quickly filled it in an effort to stop the argument between Blake and Weiss in it's tracks.

"Please don't talk about this right now..." She said plaintively. "I... I don't want to think about Roman Torchwick right this second." The group went silent, looking at her.

Weiss nodded with an understanding look. "Of course, Ruby, I apologize. This must be a difficult subject for you."

Blake frowned, but she nodded as well. "Sure. Sorry, Ruby."

Ruby faked a yawn. "Well, it's getting late, and we've all been working really hard today. Let's get an early night!"

The others exchanged glances, but the decision to turn in for the night seemed to be agreeable to the majority, so the group said their goodnights and split up for their separate dorm rooms.

Once they'd gotten to their room, Yang gave her another hug. "Seriously, don't worry about that Torchwick guy. You beat him and his gang once before, and if he does come around, I'll have your back. I don't care if he has a whole army of White Fang or whatever to help him. He won't touch you."

Pyrrha sniffed. "Certainly not. But I'm sure Yang is right. Surely he's well on his way out of the city already."

Ruby tried not to show her concern. "Yeah... sure. I'm sure you're right." The lie was bitter on her tongue. She knew better, she was certain, but they'd never believe her, especially not now. There was no way she could tell them the truth at this point, she'd never be able to prove a thing. Maybe if she'd told someone earlier, she could have used her knowledge of future events to prove she was telling the truth, but now? She'd changed so much that she didn't know anything useful she could use to prove that she had traveled backwards in time. That didn't mean she couldn't act, however. There had to be something she could do to keep that dark future from playing out. But what?

Ruby's eyes went to Blake. If anyone could help her, it'd be Blake. Blake had found out where Roman and the White Fang were stealing that dust shipment, and she and Sun had found that White Fang rally where they'd learned about Mountain Glenn. If anyone could help her stop Roman, it'd be Blake. The only trouble was, how was she supposed to get Blake to trust her?

Ruby wrinkled her nose, then decided on a plan. And she had no time to waste. The last time Blake had heard that Torchwick and the White Fang had been working together, she'd gone off on her own to stop them. Even after they'd learned her secret, and Weiss and Blake had made amends, Blake had been focused on stopping the White Fang. If Ruby waited too long, Blake could slip away to try and handle things on her own. Maybe she wouldn't do so right away, as at least she hadn't spilled her secret to Weiss during their argument this time, but Ruby couldn't be certain.

"Why didn't I think about this earlier?" Ruby moaned softly to herself. "I've had plenty of time to try to figure out what to do next... and I've wasted it." With a sigh of resolve, Ruby decided that she'd have to act tonight, before Blake could make up her own mind to do something dangerous on her own.

She pretended to go to sleep, and lay quietly in bed for what seemed like hours as she waited for the sounds of the other girls moving and breathing to settle into the the quiet of slumber. As quietly as she could, she slipped out of her bunk, her bare feet touching the ground with only the slightest noise.

Her eyes found the lumps that were Pyrrha and Yang in the darkness. Yang was splayed out on the top bunk on the other side of the room, her hair the most visible thing in the dark, almost luminescent in the darkness. Pyrrha lay on her side only a few feet away, in the bottom bunk under where Ruby had been sleeping. She didn't move, and Ruby snuck quietly over to Blake.

"Blake..." Ruby said quietly, just inches away from the ribbon that covered the girl's hidden cat ears. "Blake, wake up, and meet me in the hall." Blake's bow twitched, and Ruby snuck away, slipping through the door as quietly as she could.

She waited, resting against the wall, for perhaps half a minute before the door opened slowly once again, and Blake, still in her nightgown, slipped through the doorway, her face a mask of confusion. Blake carefully closed the door behind her, then moved up close to Ruby before speaking quietly.

"What's this all about, Ruby?" Blake asked with a small measure of suspicion.

"We need to talk." Ruby said equally quietly. "Come on, let's go someplace more private."

Blake hesitated, then followed the smaller girl upstairs and out of a door leading on to the roof. "You want to talk out here?" Blake said slowly, looking around in curiosity. "What's going on, Ruby? What did you want to talk to me about that you couldn't share with Pyrrha or Yang?"

Ruby hesitated. This could go very badly if she said something wrong, but if she didn't act now, Blake could be gone tomorrow anyway. She had to take the chance.

"Blake, do you trust me?" Ruby said quietly.

Blake hesitated. "I suppose..." she offered slowly. "You've never given me reason not to."

Ruby took a deep breath. "Then, promise me you'll hear me out till the end, and you won't jump to conclusions or anything till I'm done."

Blake raised an eyebrow. "Well, that doesn't sound good..."

Ruby looked directly into Blake's eyes. "Promise me, Blake."

Blake thought about it. "Alright. I promise I'll hear you out."

Ruby took another deep breath. "OK, good. First... Blake, I know you're a faunus."

Blake's eyes went wide and Ruby raised a finger. "You promised to hear me out, so don't freak out, OK?"

Blake swallowed. "But... but how?"

Ruby raised an eyebrow. "Well, aside from the fact that your bow twitches all by itself?" she pointed at Blake's bow. "Don't your ears feel cramped or something having to stay still all the time like that?"

Blake winced. "A little. How long have you known?"

Ruby smiled. "For awhile. And I don't care. I don't care that you're a faunus, and I don't care that you wanted to hide it. I get why you'd want to. Faunus don't have it very easy most of the time. People like Cardin... and... well, and Weiss, although Blake, I don't think Weiss hates the faunus so much as she's been told she should, because of everything that's happened between her family and the White Fang."

Blake frowned now, looking angry. "Ruby, I can't believe you're defending..."

Ruby put up a finger to stop her. "You promised you'd hear me out, remember?"

Blake frowned but nodded, her brow tense.

Ruby sighed. "The SDC is terrible to the Faunus. I know that. But Weiss isn't the SDC, and she's not her father either. She was raised in a place where the White Fang were the monsters who killed people she knew, people who were probably perfectly nice as far as she knew. But she has nothing to do with how the faunus are treated."

She gestured in the general direction of the school. "Have you ever seen her bully a faunus? Does she say bad things about Velvet behind her back, maybe? Weiss only knows what she's been told, and for her, the White Fang have been the people hurting her family since she was a little girl."

Blake's expression softened. "I... I can't argue with that, I guess. But that's not the whole story...!"

Ruby held up a hand. "Of course I know that. I mean, I don't pretend to know everything about the White Fang, but I remember some. They started out as a peaceful organization once, right?"

Blake sighed. "Yes. The White Fang started out with peaceful protests. Civil disobedience, but nothing violent. Things changed about five years ago, when the... the current leader of the White Fang stepped down."

Ruby looked at Blake seriously. "So they were doing good in the past. But things changed?"

Blake sighed. "Yes."

Ruby raised an eyebrow. "Is it safe to say you don't agree with them hurting people?"

Blake looked at Ruby seriously. "I don't think hurting people is OK, no. What troubles me is why they'd do something like help a criminal like Roman Torchwick out of prison. That doesn't make any sense."

Ruby shrugged. "Well, they changed once, maybe they've changed again?"

Blake blinked at that. "It's possible, I suppose. But it's equally possible that a group only pretending to be White Fang were responsible for breaking Torchwick out of jail."

Ruby hesitated. "Sure. Anything's possible."

Blake frowned down at the shorter girl. "Ruby, why do you bring all this up now?"

Ruby wrinkled her nose. "Because, because I don't want you getting into a fight with Weiss. She has her reasons for how she feels, and you have good reasons for how you feel too, but I know you're both good people. This isn't something you should get into while you're both feeling angry."

Blake looked thoughtful. "I suppose. I guess it can't hurt to try and keep our emotions out of things." She grimaced. "I can't condone what Weiss was saying though. The faunus are not degenerates."

Ruby shook her head. "Of course not. She's angry, and she's saying things she doesn't really mean."

Blake looked dubious. "I'm pretty sure she means it."

Ruby shrugged helplessly. "She probably does really hate the White Fang. But I don't think she really sees them as individual people, but as a an organization that her family is at war with. All she sees are the masks. Hating an organization isn't the same as hating everyone who's a member."

Blake sighed. "Maybe. It's probably for the best if I just don't bring the subject up when she's around. You're right. Weiss isn't her father, and she isn't the SDC. She hasn't done anything to hurt any faunus. She was raised to hate, and that's not her fault."

Ruby smiled softly. "I know that Weiss is a good person, Blake. She's angry, sometimes, and abrasive, and a bit high handed... but..."

Blake chuckled. "But she means well. Mostly."

Ruby giggled. "Yes. Exactly."

Blake sighed, and leaned back against the wall next to the rooftop door. "I can't believe you figured out that I was a faunus so quickly. I hoped I had everyone fooled."

Ruby shrugged. "I think you mostly do. I don't think Yang or Pyrrha know."

Blake turned to her. "Could... could I ask you not to tell them?"

Ruby nodded. "I won't tell anyone. I promise. But I think YOU should. Pyrrha and Yang won't care that you're a faunus. Nobody in Beacon who matters will care that you're a faunus, and if Cardin or any other idiots bother you about it, we'd all stand up for you."

Blake smiled. "I know you would, Ruby, and I appreciate that. But I think I'd prefer to keep my secret for now."

Ruby sighed. "It's your decision, Blake. There was one other reason I brought you up here, though."

Blake blinked. "Oh?"

Ruby hesitated. "I want to learn more about the White Fang."

Blake was silent. "Why me?" she finally said. "Because I'm a faunus?"

Ruby hesitated. "Does it make me a racist if I say that's part of it?"

Blake looked thoughtful. "I don't know. What's the other part?"

Ruby shrugged. "You wouldn't have started to argue with Weiss about the White Fang if you didn't know anything about them, would you?"

Blake chuckled. "OK, that's a good point. But why do you want to know about the White Fang?"

Ruby wrinkled her nose. "Because if they are working with Roman Torchwick, I want to know more about them. I'm pretty sure that Roman Torchwich will want revenge against me if he can get it. I hurt him pretty badly during our fight, and got him arrested. He won't forget that soon." It wasn't the real reason, but it was reasonable enough to sound true. She didn't think Torchwick would actually try to hunt her down. He never had before. But it was a good reason for her request.

Blake didn't seem to agree. "And you think learning more about the White Fang would help you... what? Find him? Don't tell me you're planning on trying to capture him?"

Ruby hesitated. "I don't want to do anything reckless, but just in case Torchwick does come after me, knowing is better than not knowing, isn't it?"

Blake looked dubious. "Maybe. I guess I could look up some articles for you to read?"

Ruby knew that Blake could do a lot more than that, but she was fine starting small. "That'd be great, Blake! You'd know which stories were real, and which ones were made up by people who don't like the Faunus. That would help a lot."

Blake perked up at that. "Sure. I could do that. Hey, even if Torchwick doesn't come after you, you could turn it into a paper for Dr. Oobleck's class."

Ruby giggled. "Win win, I guess!"

Blake grinned at her. "Sounds like it." She yawned. "Well, I'm assuming you're not planning on getting started tonight?"

Ruby shook her head. "I just wanted to talk to you in private about you being a faunus, because I figured you wouldn't be hiding your ears if you wanted everyone else to know. And the White Fang stuff connected to that, that's all."

Blake nodded, then impulsively gave Ruby a hug. "I won't let Roman Torchwick, or anyone else hurt you, you know that Ruby?"

Ruby smiled and hugged the taller girl back. "I know that, Blake. You're my friend."

Blake sighed, resting her chin on the top of Ruby's head. "Yes. Yes I am."

The two girls headed off the roof, while, sitting in an open window one floor below, Cardin Winchester grinned evily to himself. "So... Blake Belladonna is a faunus, hmm? Interesting..."

The next day, during a free period, Ruby and Blake were in the library. Ruby was collecting books on the subject, while Blake scanned through recent articles about the White Fang. When Ruby brought a stack of books about faunus civil rights to the table Blake was working out, Blake raised an eyebrow.

"Don't tell me you're planning on reading all of those." Blake said, humor creeping into her voice.

Ruby shrugged. "I was hoping you could help me figure out which ones have the important bits to read." She went through her selections. "How about this one? 'The history of the White Fang?'" She flipped through to the blurb on the inside cover. "A history of the origins of the White Fang organization, up till and including it's radicalization as an extremist organization."

Curious, Ruby flipped to the first chapter, and scanned the first few pages. "Founded on the island of Menagerie by Ghira Belladonna..."

Blake winced hard, and Ruby blinked. She flipped through the book a bit more till she found a black and white photo that showed a very large man with dark hair and a dark beard, standing at the forefront of a group of different faunus. One female cat faunus to his left looked suspiciously like Blake.

Ruby held up the picture to Blake, her eyes curious. "Blake, is this...?"

Blake sighed. "Yes, that's my father." She took the book, looking at the picture more closely. "Actually, my mother is in the photo as well. Huh. I hadn't seen this picture before..." she mused. After a long moment, she handed the book back to Ruby. "I guess you have some questions?"

Ruby tilted her head to the side. "So... your father was the person who started the White Fang? Back when they were being peaceful, I mean?"

Blake nodded, looking mildly frustrated. "Yes. He stepped down from the leadership of the White Fang five years ago, when they started acting out more violently."

Ruby nodded, going back to the photo. "What happened to him?"

Blake hesitated. "He became the chieftain of the settlement on Menagerie when he left the White Fang. As far as I know, he's still there."

Ruby looked concerned. "As far as you know?"

Blake winced. "I haven't seen my parents for... a while. I kind of ran away from home."

Ruby's eyes widened. "Wow. So they don't know that you're OK?"

Blake grimaced. "No. Not really. I... I haven't spoken to them in a long while."

Ruby tilted her head to one side again. "Why?"

Blake shook her head. "I don't want to talk about it."

Ruby sighed, and decided to take a chance. "Was it because they left the White Fang?"

Blake's eyes went wide. "What? What do you mean?"

Ruby nodded to Blake. "Your parents left the White Fang five years ago, and you ran away from home when you were still a child. Doesn't seem like a coincidence."

Blake swallowed. "Ruby, I..."

Ruby put a hand on Blake's. "Blake, don't freak out. I know you're a good person, and I'm not going to judge you for stuff that happened when you were, what, twelve years old?"

Blake started to shake. "Ruby, you don't... you can't know..."

Ruby shook her head. "No, but I can guess. You stayed in the White Fang after your parents left?" It helps that I already knew that part, of course, Ruby thought to herself.

Blake's eyes were wide. "Ruby... I..."

Ruby squeezed her hand. "Hey. I know you're a good person, remember? You were a kid. You were fighting to help your people, right?"

Blake's face started to contort. "Yes, but..."

Ruby squeezed harder. "Trust me, Blake. I trust you."

I'm not part of them." Blake said quickly. "Not anymore."

"I know that, silly." Ruby said. "You're here at Beacon, learning to be a huntress."

Blake face was a mixture of confusion and bemused disbelief. "Ruby... as far as you know, I'm a spy for the White Fang or something."

Ruby rolled her eyes. "Don't be dumb, Blake. You're my friend. You're not like that."

Blake sighed. "But I WAS, Ruby. I did terrible things..."

Ruby sighed. "You just said you're not part of the White Fang anymore, right?"

Blake nodded. "I'm not, but..."

Ruby shook her head. "But nothing. I trust you, Blake. What you did when you were a kid... what you did to try to help your people... I'm not going to hold that against you. You left them. Tell me why you left the White Fang, Blake?"

Blake hesitated. "Because... because I realized that they'd turned into something I couldn't accept. That they'd gone from trying to help our people, to just trying to hurt humans, wherever they could. It wasn't about doing the right thing anymore. I couldn't live with that."

Ruby nodded. "Of course you couldn't. You're not that kind of person, Blake. You're the kind of person who'd risk their life for a friend, or for a good cause. You'll fight to help people, not to hurt them."

Blake took a deep breath. "Do you really believe that, Ruby?"

Ruby smiled. "I do. The question is, do you believe that?"

Blake sighed. "I guess I do. I just... I wish I could have figured out what was happening... that I could have seen the signs. Maybe I could have changed their path... or at least, gotten out sooner. I really regret some of the things I did, Ruby."

Ruby nodded softly. "I believe you. And I promise, I'll keep your secret. I STILL think you should tell Yang and Pyrrha though."

Blake sighed. "Do you really think they'd accept the fact that I used to be a terrorist?"

Ruby nodded firmly. "They know the same things about you that I do, Blake. And you're not a terrorist. You were trying to help people till you realized what you were doing wasn't helping people, and you chose to do something else. I think I know you well enough to know that you're always going to make the choice to help. And that's all I need."

Blake shook her head. "You are the strangest person, Ruby Rose."

Ruby shrugged. "Maybe. But you like me anyway, right?"

Blake nodded with a smile. "I do."

Ruby gestured to the screen Blake was working on. "So... find anything about recent White Fang activity?"

Blake turned back to the screen, scrolling down. "A few things..." she looked at Ruby again. "Why are we really doing this, Ruby?"

Ruby hesitated. "I want to make sure Roman Torchwick doesn't hurt anyone else. Maybe it isn't my responsibility, but it's something I still feel like I have to do."

Blake took a deep breath. "And if we find him? What then?"

Ruby turned to her. "We bring him to justice. Will you help me do that?"

Blake looked incredulously at her for a long moment, then chuckled. "Somebody has to keep you alive, I guess."

Ruby was quiet for a long moment. "I know you're scared, Blake, but we could really use Yang and Pyrrha's help."

Blake glanced at Ruby. "Let's just see if we find anything first. I... I do trust them, but... I'm not ready to tell them the truth just yet."

Ruby nodded. "OK. I trust you to make the right decision."

Blake went back to reading, but she couldn't help but think that she wasn't anywhere near as certain of herself as Ruby seemed to be.

/-/

Just before Combat Class the next day, however, things went to hell. As everyone was entering the hall to take their places, everyone's scroll started buzzing at the same time. Ruby checked her scroll, as did almost everyone else.

There was a message posted from Jack Spriggin to the school message board. Ruby clicked on it, and saw a photo of Blake. A headshot, with the caption. "Ever wonder why she never takes off her bow?"

Blake had gotten the message at the same time as everyone else, and her eyes went wide. Desperately, she glanced toward Ruby. Ruby shook her head quickly. She had no idea how Jack had found out. Both of them looked around for the small boy, but he hadn't shown up in the classroom yet.

Blake's eyes narrowed, and she started to move, heading for the nearest exit. Ruby hesitated for a long moment, then raced after her, not caring who stared. It might cause more of a scene, but she couldn't leave Blake alone just now.

Outside the class, Ruby saw Blake rapidly rushing down the hall for the exit. Ruby raced after her, using her Semblance to close the distance till she was running side by side with the cat faunus.

Blake hit the front doors to the school at a run, only starting to slow as she approached the large ornamental fountain in the center of the main courtyard. The Courtyard was empty, everyone else presumably in classes at the moment.

"You didn't...?" Blake asked, halfway between hope and fear.

"Of course not Blake." Ruby reassured her. "I don't know why Jack would do this... but it doesn't matter."

"It doesn't... of course it matters! Everyone will know I'm a faunus!"

Ruby put her arms around Blake's waist. "I told you. No one important will care. Your team won't care, and we've got your back."

Blake shuddered, but didn't pull away. "What do I do?"

Ruby pulled out her scroll again. "Let's call a team meeting. Let's get Yang and Pyrrha to meet us in our room, and we'll tell them the truth. It'll be alright. You'll see."

Blake shivered in fear. "I don't seem to have many other options."

Ruby kept hugging her. "It will be alright. I promise you that."

Blake sighed. "You can't promise me that."

Ruby growled. "I will MAKE it alright."

Blake half sniffed, half chuckled. "I believe that you'll try." Ruby sighed into her back, and Blake patted her on the hands that were around her waist. "For whatever it matters, the fact that you'd try does help quite a bit."

Ruby leaned around Blake's torso to type on her scroll without letting go of the hug.

Blake tried not to laugh. "You're going to have to let go eventually."

Ruby shrugged. "Are you going to ask me to stop?"

Blake chuckled. "Well, not yet."

/-/

They met up with Yang and Pyrrha ten minutes later. Ruby had called them out of Combat Class, or she would have if they hadn't already ditched class to look for her and Blake.

"OK, we're here." Yang announced as she and Pyrrha came through the door. "I'm guessing we're here to talk about that post that Jack sent?"

Pyrrha hesitated. "Blake, are you a faunus?" she blushed. "It doesn't make any difference to me if you are... but is that why you're always wearing that bow?"

Blake chuckled brokenly. "Everyone has probably got that part figured out by now, I guess."

Yang blinked. "Oh. Huh. Wow. I can't believe I didn't notice after all this time."

Blake looked at her teammates hesitantly. "Does it bother you?"

Yang frowned. "It kind of bothers me that you hid it from us, but why would I care if you're a faunus or not? That sort of thing doesn't matter a bit to me."

"Nor I." Pyrrha agreed. "You are Blake. That's all that I care about." She took a deep breath. "And, unfortunately, I can fully appreciate why you'd wish to hide your heritage."

Yang grimaced. "Yeah, I get that too. I still see red when I think about Cardin and Velvet the other day, but that sort of thing happens all the time, doesn't it."

Blake sighed. "I am really sorry I hid it from you. I WAS going to tell you." she gestured to Ruby. "Ruby's known for awhile now, and she's been encouraging me to tell you two everything. I was just... working my way up to it."

Yang grinned. "Oh? So that's why you two have been sneaking around? I thought you were sneaking off to make out or something!"

Ruby flushed bright red, as did Blake. "Yang! We were not sneaking off to make out!"

Pyrrha's smile brightened at Ruby's vehement denial. "Yes, that was a rather foolish idea, wasn't it?"

Blake's eyebrows raised, and she grinned slightly. "Oh? Why is that? Are you saying that I'm not good enough for Ruby?"

Pyrrha's eyes went wide and she waved her hands. "No! Not at all, I just meant, I mean you're a very nice girl and everything, I just thought that..." she fought for words.

Yang gave Blake a thumb's up. "Hey, if you want, go for it! I give you the Yang Xaio-Long stamp of approval. You have permission to date my baby sister!"

Blake chuckled even as Ruby went right back to blushing as red as her cape. "Yang! Stop teasing!"

Yang tried to look innocent. "Teasing? Who me?"

Pyrrha turned at Yang with a mild glare. "Yang, you really shouldn't tease your sister like that."

Yang grinned back at the red-haired girl. "Oh? You thought I was teasing Ruby?"

Pyrrha started to blush again. "Yang..." she said warningly.

Ruby felt this was the perfect time to hit her sister with a pillow. So she did.

* * *

**The scene with Cardin using the Full Nelson on Jack came directly from an actual fight, including the relative sizes of the combatants, so take my word on how it would go. A Full Nelson is kind of hard to transition into something that will actually do damage, unless you count squeezing your target's neck, and Jack may be small, but he's got a thick neck and strong muscles for his size. If Cardin had thought to drop backwards and try and roll on top of Jack, it might have won him the fight, but that would also give an experienced wrestler an option to get loose, so Cardin didn't really have a lot of good options there, unless he was more skilled at grappling than Jack was.**

**As for why everything is happening differently than in the original timeline, well, Ruby keeps changing things. Sometimes deliberately, sometimes not.**

**And of COURSE Torchwick would escape. Neo could have broken him out on day one if she'd wanted. So could Cinder, using Emerald, for that matter. Using the White Fang instead was simply them not showing any of their trump cards. For Cinder, Torchwick's capture is barely a bump in the road. It doesn't alter her plan in the slightest, although Ruby has obviously shot herself in the foot a bit here. It's still not over yet, although how Ruby uses her future knowledge is still quite the interesting problem for her.**

**Finally, yes, team RPBY will be confronting Jack for his betrayal... but I've kind of been ending each chapter with somebody getting hit by a pillow, so you'll have to be patient! Hope it's been fun so far.**


	4. Chapter 4

When Yang and Ruby finished their pillow fight, the subject went back to more serious topics.

"So, what are we going to do about Jack?" Yang said with a growl. "That post of his was way out of line."

Ruby looked worried. "Maybe he was just curious?"

Blake frowned. "Maybe. But he could have just asked me. It feels like a deliberate attempt to out me to the school."

"Jack wouldn't do that!" Ruby defended. "Would he?"

Pyrrha looked troubled. "I wouldn't have thought so, but we really don't know how he feels about the faunus. Perhaps he figured out Blake's secret on his own and felt betrayed?"

Yang looked at Ruby. "You and Blake and Jack have been spending a lot of time together. I bet he had a crush on Blake or something. That would explain why he'd do something so mean after figuring out..."

Blake grimaced. "After figuring out that he had a crush on an animal?"

Yang winced. "I'd never use that word, but yeah. I mean, not every racist is loud and obnoxious about it. I mean, Weiss obviously doesn't like the faunus very much, but she's too icy to go around yelling racial slurs."

Blake sighed. "Well, what's done is done. There's nothing we can do about it now."

Yang smacked one fist into her palm. "We can kick the little jackass's butt."

Blake shook her head. "You can't just beat up every racist you meet, Yang, as much as I appreciate the thought. That won't change anything."

Yang shrugged. "It'd make me feel better."

Blake chuckled. "Me too, a little. But it's the wrong thing to do, and we need to be better than that."

Pyrrha sighed. "Well, if that's what you want, Blake, we'll support you."

Yang sniffed angrily, but nodded her agreement. "We've got your back, partner. Don't worry about that."

Blake smiled gratefully. "That helps. It helps a lot to know my team is on my side." She hesitated, raising one hand to her bow. "If everyone hasn't figured out that I'm a faunus by now, they will soon enough when enough people put two and two together." She slowly pulled at the bow, causing it to unravel, slowly revealing her cat ears. She twitched them, sighing. "It's been uncomfortable keeping them tied up all this time anyway, so if everyone knows, I don't see why I should bother anymore."

Ruby grinned, while Yang and Pyrrha looked at Blake's revealed feline appendages with curiosity.

Yang whistled. "Wow... those are... really cute."

Pyrrha smiled slightly. "They are most attractive, Blake. It's a shame you had to hide them all this time."

Blake blushed. "Don't make a big thing about them. They're just my ears."

Pyrrha blushed immediately. "Oh! I'm so sorry. I'm afraid I don't really know the proper etiquette involving... er..."

Blake chuckled. "I don't think there is any special etiquette involved in my having cat ears, Pyrrha. Just... they're ears. Just treat them like you would anyone else's ears."

Pyrrha nodded sagely. "Of course. Paying them special attention would be like mentioning that Yang has... er..."

Yang glanced down at her chest, then grinned evily. "Like Yang has what?"

"Very long hair." Pyrrha said carefully.

"Nice save." Yang said, chuckling.

Yang turned back to Blake. "Well, it's kind of a shame not to say anything, because... well, I've got to be honest. Those ears are fricking adorable."

Blake turned to the blond brawler and grinned. "And your boobs are huge."

Yang laughed. "Hell yeah they are."

Ruby groaned. "Blake!" She turned towards her older sister. "Yang! Don't corrupt Blake!"

Yang laughed harder. "Too late, little sister. Our little kitten here has a dirty mind, it seems."

Blake blinked. "Little kitten?"

Yang hesitated. "Is that OK? I mean, if you don't like it, I'll come up with a different nickname."

Blake considered it. "My mom used to call me her little kitten, so it doesn't really bother me, I guess."

Yang shrugged. "Hey, with me, everyone gets a nickname."

Blake raised an eyebrow. "What's Pyrrha's?"

Yang grinned. "P-money. Like it?" she glanced at Pyrrha, who mouthed the word in confusion. Yang shrugged. "Eh, it's a work in progress."

Blake sighed. "Class tomorrow is going to suck."

Ruby patted her back softly. "We'll be right there with you the whole time. I promise."

Blake took a deep breath. "I know that. It's still not going to be fun."

Yang growled. "Seriously, the next time I see that stinking Jack Spriggin, I'm going to put him through a wall..."

Blake rolled her eyes. "Yang, stop. I really do appreciate it, but violence isn't the right answer. I'll talk with Jack, but we're not going to hurt him."

Yang looked astonished. "You're going to just talk with that creep? Why even give him the time of day?"

Blake frowned. "Because I want him to tell me to my face why he did what he did. And maybe I can convince him to let things drop. We don't need a war with team Winter."

Pyrrha grimaced. "Do you really think it could come to that?"

Blake shrugged. "Weiss obviously isn't fond of the faunus, and between her and Jack..."

"Ren and Nora aren't like that though." Yang pointed out. "Or at least, they've never said anything..."

Blake nodded. "Which is why I'm going to try talking to them. Our teams have been pretty close since initiation. It'd be a shame to just throw that away because I'm a faunus."

"It wouldn't be because you're a faunus, it's because they're racist Jackasses." Yang grinned momentarily. "Get it? Jack... ass?" Her eyes twinkled. "In fact, I think that's going to be his new nickname. Weiss is Ice Queen, of course, but Jack is now our resident Jackass."

Blake sighed. "Honestly, calling them names isn't going to help."

"I agree. I'm sure Weiss will listen to reason, and we will... reason, with Jack Spriggin as well." Pyrrha said softly, although there was more than a little steel in her voice.

Ruby sighed. "I just can't believe Jack would do this. And I had no idea he had a crush on Blake."

Yang raised an eyebrow. "Um... are you blind? It's obvious the guy has had the hots for her for awhile now. Although I think he likes you too, sis."

Ruby flushed pink. "Me? No way!"

Yang shrugged. "I figured he'd make a move sooner or later. I think he'd probably have said something earlier, but he is pretty shy."

Blake just sighed. "I never really thought about him that way. Not that it matters now."

Yang rolled her eyes. "Anyone who wouldn't want to date you because of a pair of ears... really cute ears, by the way, is stupid, and deserves to die alone. Or marry Weiss and be miserable for the rest of their life."

Blake laughed out loud at that, and Ruby had to stifle a giggle. Yang really was the best sometimes, even if Weiss really wasn't all that bad. Ruby had to admit that the heiress did give off the impression of a cold, icy exterior very well, but Ruby knew that she was really very sweet and loving if you gave her half a chance. Unfortunately, she wasn't sure if Weiss would get that chance, thanks to everything that had just happened. Still, Ruby was determined to make the best of the situation.

"I've been meaning to talk to Weiss anyway." She said firmly. "I think growing up as the SDC heiress has a lot more to do with Weiss not liking faunus, or more specifically, the White Fang, than anything else. Her dad doesn't seem to be a nice person, but not everyone takes after their parents. I think Weiss could get over her prejudice if she had the chance to get to know some faunus in person."

Blake pointed to herself. "You're talking about me, right?"

Ruby shrugged. "Maybe? I mean, if you'd be willing to give her the chance?"

Blake sighed. "I'll try. I'll give it a try for your sake, Ruby, since you believe in Weiss so strongly."

Pyrrha smiled softly. "I think that is an excellent idea. Perhaps the attempt will not be successful, but talking out our differences, learning to understand each other, those are worthwhile things to try."

Blake chuckled. "My father would agree with you in a heartbeat, Pyrrha. He used to say a lot of the same things."

Pyrrha looked interested. "You've never talked about your father. Are you close?"

Blake sighed. "I haven't seen my father in five years, actually. I ran away from home when I was twelve."

Pyrrha looked stunned. "Oh! Oh my! I... I'm so sorry, Blake! I didn't mean to bring up painful memories."

Blake took a deep breath. "Actually, I think I have a few more... painful memories that I'd like to share, if that's OK?" She glanced at Ruby, who nodded encouragingly, and continued. "My father's name is Ghira. Ghira Belladona. My father founded the White Fang, actually. I grew up as a member."

Pyrrha blinked, looking stunned. "Your father... what?"

Yang's eyes were wide. "Whoa."

Blake took a deep breath. "Not everyone knows this, but the White Fang wasn't always a terrorist organization. They were a peaceful protest group until, well, until five years ago. When the movement started to change into more violent protest, my father stepped down as leader. I... disagreed with my father's decision at the time."

Pyrrha cocked her head to one side, her eyes narrowing slightly. "I see."

Blake took a long breath, then continued. "I thought that not enough was being done for faunus rights. Stepping down seemed cowardly to me. Now I wish I'd followed in my father's footsteps."

It was Yang who spoke. "But you didn't."

Blake shook her head. "No. I was part of the new, more violent White Fang. I thought we were making a difference. Worse... we WERE making a difference. Except people weren't treating the faunus better because of respect or trust, but because of fear."

Pyrrha sighed. "And fear only makes things worse in the long run."

Blake lowered her head. "I think I realize that now. But it took too long for me to figure out that what we were doing was wrong." Ruby put a hand on her back, encouraging the cat faunus to continue. "I decided I no longer wanted to use my skills to aid in their violence. Instead, I dedicated my life to becoming a Huntress, to protect the people."

Pyrrha nodded. "A noble sentiment. But why are you telling us all this?"

Blake hesitated. "Because... because it's the truth, and I've lied to you for long enough. Maybe I didn't lie directly, but I did hide who I was from you. I don't want to keep such secrets from my team anymore. That is, if you'll still accept me as part of your team, now that you know the truth?"

Yang stepped closer to put a hand on Blake's shoulder. "Of course we'll accept you. You're here for the right reasons. What you did when you were a kid shouldn't matter. You were what, twelve when the White Fang changed? I think it's amazing that you managed to become as awesome a partner as you have. It's obvious you don't hate humans, or want to hurt people, so why would I reject you?"

Pyrrha nodded. "I agree. I believe your motivations were honest ones, and I certainly can't blame a twelve year old child for making a few bad decisions along the way. The fact that you are here now, and that you've chosen to do the right thing speaks volumes about your true convictions. I am honored to count you among my friends."

Blake hung her head. "I haven't earned any honor. I have a lot to make up for."

Ruby spoke up. "If you feel that way, let your team help you do that. We can do a whole lot of good as huntresses, as a team. So let's be the best team Beacon has ever seen."

Yang grinned and threw up a hand. "Yeah! You tell her, Ruby!"

Blake looked from one to another of her teammates. "Thank you. Thank you so much for... for accepting me for who I am."

Pyrrha simply nodded. "Of course."

The room went silent for a long time, before Yang spoke up again. "Hey, Blake? Have you really been avoiding your folks for the last five years?"

Blake didn't answer right away, but eventually she nodded. "I... at first it was because I was angry at them for giving up the fight. I thought they were abandoning the cause, betraying their people. I thought they were cowards." There was another long pause. "I was wrong. I realize that now. But by the time I realized how I wronged my parents, my father... I'd already done so much. I'd made so many mistakes. I... I couldn't stand to face him after all that."

Yang was quiet for a very long time in response, but Ruby could feel the tension in the room, and she knew her older sister thinking hard.

"I guess that makes sense." Yang finally said quietly. "But I envy you."

Blake looked at the tall blond brawler. "You envy me?"

"My mother left me when I was a baby. She never came back, and I never found out why." Yang said quietly. "I'd give anything to see her again, to find out why she left me... but I don't know if I'll ever get that chance." Yang met Blake's gaze. "All you have to do is go to the CCT and give your father a call. You know right where he is. Your father, your mother. I'm sure they miss you a lot."

Blake looked away. "I... it's more than my being ashamed. I didn't leave the White Fang under good terms. The day I left, I betrayed my partner, the leader of our chapter of the White Fang, Adam. He was going to kill a bunch of civilians on a SDC dust train. I separated the train cars, left him behind, saved the civilian workers... and ran for my life. Adam... he doesn't take betrayal well. If I went back to my parents, he'd find me. He might hurt them. But he has no reason to search for me here... and this is Beacon. Adam would have to be insane to attack a school full of hunters."

Yang blinked. "OK... wow. That's a better reason for not talking to your parents than I expected."

Pyrrha's eyes were wide. "That's... that's incredible, Blake. Saving those people was a wonderful thing to do, especially at the cost you paid to do it. I can't imagine having that kind of courage."

Blake laughed wryly. "You do realize that I was perfectly fine stealing a train full of dust from the SDC, right? It was just killing those people that was a line I couldn't cross."

Pyrrha hesitated before answering. "Blake... I think we have already established that you made some bad choices. But telling us this does not make me think we're wrong about you. You really are a good person. I don't think you're going to change my mind about that."

Yang shrugged easily. "Yeah, fighting for equality and stuff, I'm not going to give you any grief about that. Putting your foot down and risking your own life to save people? That's sounds like my partner to me. You were a hero, Blake." She winced. "I mean, I wouldn't want to mention any of that stuff to any cops... but you're aces in my book, Blake." She wrinkled her nose. "And maybe we don't mention that part to Weiss either. Or anybody else?"

Pyrrha nodded. "Perhaps that is for the best."

Ruby spoke up. "I bet your parents would still really like to hear from you. You're safe here at Beacon, but they don't know that. Don't you think they'd like to know that you're alright?"

Blake sighed. "I'm sure they do... but..."

Ruby raised a finger to Blake's lips. "No buts. You should at least let them know you aren't dead or something."

Blake took a deep breath. "I... I will. You're right. It's wrong of me to keep them in suspense. At the least, I can give them that much." She sighed. "They're going to be so angry though."

Ruby laughed softly. "Yeah. But they'll be angry with you because they love you, right?"

Blake sighed. "I hope you're right, Ruby. It's going to be hard. I... I don't know what to say to them."

Ruby smiled. "Just tell them you're sorry. That you love them. Tell them the truth. They're your parents. They'll forgive you."

Blake raise an eyebrow. "You think so?"

Ruby nodded. "I'm sure of it."

The four girls quieted down at that point, each lost in their own thoughts. By general consensus, they went about regular stuff. Homework, reading, Yang was playing a game on her scroll. Combat Class had been the last class of the day, so there was no need to head out again, and none of them especially wanted to.

It was just over an hour after classes ended that Ruby's scroll buzzed. Curious, she checked it, seeing a message from Weiss. She opened it, and her eyes went wide.

"Huh. Speaking of talking to team Winter... it looks like they want to talk to us as well. Weiss has asked us to meet them in their dorm room. As soon as we're available."

Yang frowned. "What does she want?"

Ruby shook her head. "I don't know, but Weiss's message says they'd like to talk to all of us, as a group."

Yang looked thoughtful. "Well, that doesn't sound so bad. If she was going to yell at Blake, she probably wouldn't ask for all of us to come."

Pyrrha frowned. "I wonder. Perhaps this has something to do with Mister Spriggin?"

Blake shook her head. "There's no way to know till they tell us. We wanted to talk things out with them anyway, right?"

Ruby rose to her feet, heading for their door, but stopped just in front of it, turning around to face her team. "OK, we're going to be calm, right? Everyone is going to take it easy and talk like adults, right?"

Yang chuckled. "That's kind of funny coming from the youngest person in Beacon, sis."

"Yang..." Ruby whined. "I'm trying to be a good team leader here."

"And you're doing an excellent job." Pyrrha said supportively. "I'm sure we'll all be on our best behavior."

Yang shrugged. "I won't start anything if they don't."

Blake nodded firmly. "We'll talk things out. Calmly. I'm... I'm sure things will be fine." She didn't sound all that sure, but Ruby let it go. So long as her team was all on board to TRY to behave, that was all that mattered.

Blake rose to her feet as well, then glanced at the chair where she'd laid down her bow. "Maybe I should wear this at first? Just... ease into things?"

Yang put a hand on her partner's shoulder. "Whatever makes it easier, Kitten. We're behind you."

Blake took a deep breath, then shook her head. "No. I've lied long enough. I'll go in as I am. If they get upset because I walk in with my ears exposed, a conversation probably wouldn't help things anyway."

Ruby winced, but shrugged. "It's your call. On the bow, I mean. I'm never going to tell you that you can't wear it, or that you have to wear it. That'd be dumb. Just... remember that people can be angry without being bad people, and keep your cool, OK? Especially you, Yang."

Yang opened her eyes wide, innocently. "Me? Lose my temper?"

Ruby rolled her eyes and turned to open the door. "Right. Let's go."

As a group, the four girls marched over to team Winter's dorm room, which was, conveniently enough, directly across the hall. Ruby glanced around her for reassurance, then knocked firmly three times.

The door was opened almost immediately by Nora, who, upon seeing Blake's revealed ears, gave an ear-piercing squeal. "Oh my gosh! Those are so CUTE!" She practically screamed. "Oh! Can I touch them? They look so soft! Are they soft?"

Behind her, Weiss had her hand firmly over her face, looking appalled, but she let her hand fall with a long suffering sigh, and gestured to them to come inside. "Please, come in. I think we have a number of matters to discuss."

Yang barged forward, putting an arm around Nora's shoulders and dragging her out of the doorway to let the rest of her team enter. "No touching, Nora, not unless Blake says it's OK. You wouldn't want everyone just groping you all over, would you?" Nora grimaced at the comparison, but allowed Yang to move her without arguement.

The three other members of team RPBY entered team Winter's dorm with a bit more decorum, Pyrrha closing the door behind them once they were all inside. All the members of team Winter were there. Weiss stood at the center of the room, stepping back slightly to give team RPBY room, but seeming to want their attention. Ren sat on his bed, his expression calm. Jack Spriggin sat on a bed in one corner of the room, his back hunched and looking away from everyone else.

Yang glared at him. "OK, Jack Ass, care to explain that text?"

Jack winced, and looked up, and it was obvious at once that his face was a mess. He had a black eye, as well as several other obvious bruises and contusions on his face, as well as several bandages. "It wasn't me." He looked earnestly at Blake. "Blake, I swear it wasn't me!" His eyes widened slightly as he took a good look at the cat faunus. "Er... wow. You really are a faunus..." He said quietly. "But I don't care about that. I mean... I never cared about if someone was a faunus or not. Some of my bests friends growing up were faunus..." He trailed off. "OK, that sounded a lot better in my head, but it's true. We're all people. It's actions that matter."

Blake raised an eyebrow. "What happened to you, Jack?" She asked him, her voice kind.

Ruby gasped. "Oh my gosh! Someone beat you up and took your scroll!"

Jack sighed. "Pretty much that. Cardin and his team jumped me in the men's locker room. I was fighting today, so I was changing in there, but when the last person left, aside from Cardin and his team, they rushed over and grabbed me. Cardin and two of the others... Dove and Sky, I think, held me down while Russel downloaded that photo onto my scroll, and sent that message to everyone."

He shook his head. "I... I couldn't stop them. Dove and Sky tried grabbing my legs after Cardin got me in a head lock, and I managed to throw them off for a while, but I couldn't get loose of Cardin. He may be slow, but he's not weak. And once they figured out not to try grabbing my legs, Dove and Sky managed to join back in, and they took me down pretty quickly. Then they left. I would have followed them, but I knew I couldn't handle their whole team by myself."

Yang's eyes had gone crimson, and her hair started to glow. "Those bastards... those utter bastards. I'll kill them! Forget breaking legs, I'll break every bone in their stinking bodies!"

Weiss cleared her throat. "Well, you'd have to get them from out of Miss Goodwitch's office to do so, so I'd recommend waiting till after she is finished with them."

Pyrrha looked pleased. "So you informed Miss Goodwitch?"

Weiss rolled her eyes. "Not... exactly."

Nora chuckled. "I broke their door down."

Ruby blinked. "What?"

Ren shrugged, taking up the story. "Well, Jack came to us as soon as he got out of the locker room, and told us everything, so as soon as class let out we all went to their dorm room to confront them and ask..."

"Demand." Weiss corrected.

"Demand," Ren agreed. "For Jack's scroll to be returned. Naturally they refused. That's when Nora broke their door down. Things were getting heated..."

"I was kicking their asses!" Nora chimed in.

"When Miss Goodwitch arrived." Ren explained. "She broke up the fight immediately..."

"Which I was totally winning!" Nora yelled happily.

"And at that point, she asked us what we were doing."

"I think her words were, 'What on Remnant do you think you are doing?'" Weiss interjected. "At which point I explained that we'd come to request the return of our teammate's scroll when things got... out of hand."

"And then Ren did the coolest thing!" Nora gleefully exclaimed.

"I dialed Jack's scroll from my own." Ren explained modestly.

"The fools neglected to turn off Jack's scroll." Weiss explained a bit viciously. "Naturally Miss Goodwitch took them into custody immediately." She gestured to Nora. "Nora did receive a detention for destruction of school property..."

"Totally worth it!" Nora yelled.

"... but after we had explained the full circumstances, we were free to go." Weiss finished. "At which point I felt it necessary to call this meeting."

Blake sighed. "I'm really sorry that happened to you, Jack. I feel like this is my fault somehow."

Jack shook his head. "No way. Cardin's been on my case since day one. This isn't on you."

Weiss sniffed. "I agree, although I am not pleased that you were hiding your..." she hesitated, then spoke more quietly. "That you were hiding such a large secret from us."

Blake took a deep breath. "I AM sorry about lying... even if only by omission. I just... I wanted my stay here at Beacon to be about who I am as a person, rather than about being a faunus."

Weiss sighed, then nodded. "Your apology is accepted." Her face still held a frown, but it was a one of frustration, rather than anger. "I feel I must apologize as well, for any difficulty this... event may cause you."

Blake raised an eyebrow. "You don't have to apologize, Weiss. Not for this."

Weiss nodded. "Perhaps, but I feel as if I do hold some responsibility, if only for not anticipating some sort of retaliation by Cardin. Looking out for my team is my responsibility."

Weiss looked at Blake's ears with something approaching curiosity. "Should I take it that you have decided to... come out of the closet entirely? If that's the proper term?"

Blake sighed. "There doesn't seem much point to hiding my ears anymore. If the whole school hasn't figured out that I'm a faunus by now, they certainly will in a day or so."

Weiss nodded. "Well, on behalf of my team, I believe I can safely say you have our support. I won't tolerate any bullying."

Blake nodded quickly. "I appreciate that Weiss. That's generous of you."

Weiss went silent at that, just looking at Blake as if she'd never really seen her before. Blake's ears twitched, causing Weiss to jolt slightly.

Weiss closed her eyes. "I apologize for staring. I don't mean to be rude."

Blake smiled slightly. "It's alright. I suppose you've never been friends with a faunus before."

Weiss winced. "Not as such, no..." She looked at Blake with a mixed expression, part confusion, part concern. "Are we friends, Blake?"

Blake didn't speak up right away, appearing to think about it. "That depends on you, Weiss. I'd like to be, if you aren't against the idea."

Weiss nodded quickly, then closed her eyes. When she opened them again, she nodded more firmly. "Then we are friends. I... I like you, Blake." She looked frustrated, almost angry. "I truly hate to admit it, but perhaps your bow served a useful purpose in the long run after all."

Blake looked curious. "What was that?"

Weiss sighed. "I don't think I would have made as much of an effort to get to know you if I had known you were a faunus." She raised a hand. "I'm not saying I would have shunned you or anything, just... that I would have almost certainly kept myself at more a distance if I'd known you were a faunus from the day we first met." She shrugged. "I think I understand why you were standoffish with me at first." She sighed. "No, I fully understand why. My family does not have the most... stellar reputation among the faunus, and it's not entirely undeserved. I didn't know why you disliked me, but I... I found I wanted you to like me. I found you to be a worthy person, Blake. You are an excellent fighter, your scholastic skills are to be admired, and I do appreciate your taste in literature. Well, some of it, anyway." She shot the cat faunus a little grin. "I hoped, with time, we would become allies, even friends."

Blake raised an eyebrow. "And now?"

Weiss straightened her back a little. "We are friends, I hope. I'm just ashamed to say I cannot be certain we would have become so if I had judged you first by your race, rather than your character. In that, at least, your bow served it's purpose. I got to know you as a person, and I... I find that I am grateful for that."

Yang grinned at her. "Seems like our Weiss Cream has melted a little." Her grin softened slightly. "Seriously though, that's pretty big of you. Any friend of my partner is a friend of mine though. That's for sure." She approached Weiss and held out a hand. Weiss blinked, not sure whether or not to be offended, and finally settled for taking Yang's hand, and not wincing too badly at Yang shaking it vigorously.

Pyrrha smiled warmly at the heiress. "That is most brave of you to admit, Weiss, and quite honorable." Weiss found her smile, nodding to the championship fighter, looking pleased.

Ruby cheered. "Oh yeah! Team Ruby and team Winter are back together!"

Nora cheered as well. "Friends for life, baby!"

Yang grinned and threw up a fist in solidarity with the other two excitable girls.

Ren nodded. "I'd like to state it clearly. If you undergo any difficulties due to this revelation, you may count on our assistance at any time."

Weiss nodded firmly. "My intentions exactly. Thank you Ren."

Jack stood up, nodding quickly. "I... this was all my fault, so anything you need. Anything at all, you just have to ask, Blake."

Blake looked genuinely touched. "Thanks. Thank you all." She moved closer to Weiss, bending down slightly to look directly in the heiress's eyes. "Thank you in particular, Weiss. I really appreciate how hard it can be, coming from a place..." she paused. "From a place where one particular set of ideas can dominate your thinking. Recognizing your own faults and working to fix them is truly admirable."

Weiss looked hesitant. "Do you think I've done that?"

Blake shrugged. "What do you think?"

Weiss sighed. "That I still have much to do." She raised a finger. "That does not mean I condone the actions of the White Fang."

Blake shook her head. "I wouldn't ask you to do that. The White Fang, at least in the last few years, have... have not acted honorably."

Ruby burst in. "You know, they were all peaceful and stuff at first, Weiss! They weren't always hurting people."

Weiss raised an eyebrow. "Why do you say that, Ruby?"

Ruby cleared her throat. "I do read, you know. The White Fang was a non-violent origination till their original leader stepped down, five years ago."

Weiss blinked. "You read all that?"

Ruby nodded eagerly. "There's a book in the Library that explains all about it. Oh! And Blake's parents are in a picture!"

Weiss blinked a second time. "Blake's parents?"

Blake coughed, looking embarrassed. "The White Fang was founded by my father. Ghira Belladona. When the group turned to more radical means, he stepped down as leader, and became chieftain of the island of Menagerie, instead."

Nora's eyes were wide. "Does that mean you're a princess?"

Blake looked confused. "No... it doesn't work like that."

Nora nodded. "Oh... what do they call it then? Chieftess? No, I guess that's your mom? Are you going grow up to rule Menagerie?"

Blake opened her mouth, closed it, then shook her head. "Chieftain is an elected position, so probably not. I fully intend to be a huntress, in any event. I doubt I'd have time for ruling a nation.

Weiss pointed at Blake, looking flabbergasted. "Your father actually started the White Fang?"

Blake sighed and nodded. "Yes. Although, as I said, while my father ran the White Fang, they had a strict policy of non-violence. I was actually a member of the White Fang myself. Almost from birth."

Weiss colored, then grimaced. "But you're not a member anymore?"

Blake shook her head. "I don't agree with their violent tactics. I don't think that hurting people is acceptable, even if it's for a good cause. I came to Beacon to become a Huntress so I could use my skills to protect people, not to harm them."

Weiss sighed. "I see. Well, I suppose I have to apologize. I honestly don't have any issue with peaceful protest. Not even against my family's company, and I'm sure my comments about the White Fang were... painful for you to hear."

Blake smiled. "That is generous of you to say."

Weiss sighed. "Come now. We both know that the SDC does not have the best track record of relations with the faunus. My father... he has taken the company in directions that I think my Grandfather would never have approved of. Certainly I do not agree with most of those decisions."

Blake looked interested. "Do you think you'll ever be able to change things with the SDC?"

Weiss shook her head. "I don't know. I wish to, of course, and at the moment, I AM the heiress to the SDC, so there is a real possibility that I might. But I won't be able to do anything till my father steps down from his position... which may not be for many years."

Blake sighed. "Well, you can only do as much as you can do. I certainly can't blame you for your ambition. I hope you do take over from your father though. I think you'd make a much better leader."

Weiss raised an eyebrow. "You can't know that for certain."

Blake snorted. "No offense, but you could hardly do worse." Weiss frowned, and Blake backpedaled. "I apologize. That was uncalled for. I don't know your father, outside of his reputation." She looked at Weiss calmly. "I stand by what I say, however. You at least seem open minded. Your father has not shown any signs of being reasonable towards the faunus. Not from everything I know of him."

Weiss sighed. "You're not wrong. And thank you for the complement. I don't like to badmouth my father, or hear others do so, but I won't take offense. Although..."

Blake nodded softly. "I won't insult your family in your presence, Weiss. That truly IS insensitive of me."

Weiss raised an eyebrow, then nodded. "That is sufficient."

Blake smiled at her slightly, looking curious. "Are we still friends then?"

Weiss nodded firmly. "Of course. Perhaps we can talk about... these more difficult topics some other time."

Blake smiled. "I'd like to have a civilized conversation with you. About the White Fang, and about the faunus right to equality. But perhaps another time?"

Weiss nodded. "I'd like that as well, I believe. Another time."

/-/

Later, back in their dorm room, Yang was grinning at Blake like the cat that had eaten the canary.

Blake ignored it for as long as she could, then sighed. "What?"

Yang grinned wider. "Well, I think I can safely say that Jack does NOT mind the kitty ears. Did you see the way he was staring at you?"

Blake blushed. "No! What? No. You're kidding right?"

Yang shook her head, looking immensely pleased with herself. "The boy is crushing HARD, kitten. He has NO problems at all with you having cute fuzzy ears on top of your head."

Blake groaned. "Yang... I am not looking to hook up with anyone right now. Besides, he's..." she trailed off, blushing slightly.

"Short?" Yang teased. "Scrawny? Too much into catgirls?" Blake actually hissed a little, and Yang held up her hands. "OK, OK, I'll tone it down."

Blake laid down on her bed and sighed. "Maybe it's a bit insensitive on MY part, but I'm really not all that into him. And yes, maybe part of it is because he's small... and shy. He seems like a nice boy, but there isn't any... chemistry there."

Yang raised an eyebrow. "So it's not about him having a catgirl fetish?"

Blake turned on her side to give Yang an unfriendly glare. "Even if that is a thing..."

Yang grinned. "It SO is."

Blake grunted. "Even if it is a thing, if he'd been attracted to me before he found out I was a faunus, I wouldn't mind him liking me a bit more because he may or may not..."

Yang chuckled. "Have a thing for cute kitty ears?"

Blake shrugged. "People like what they like? I don't know. Don't kink shame, Yang."

Yang blinked. "Wow. Pretty progressive there, Blake. OK. Any fetishes of yours you want to share with the class?"

Blake shook her head, laughing quietly. "You are completely shameless, do you know that?"

Yang chuckled. "I did know that, thank you."

Pyrrha spoke up quietly. "Many people do like cats. And dogs, I suppose. Having traits in common with animals that people like is probably a plus for some people, I suppose?" The Mistralian champion said, fighting a small blush. "It is also probably completely inappropriate to make such comparisons, however."

Blake chuckled. "A little, yeah. I know you don't mean anything bad by it though. I mean, if someone was to say something about Velvet for having rabbit traits, and it wasn't, say, that she probably has really good hearing, I would probably get pretty annoyed."

Yang raised an eyebrow. "You mean the one about rabbits... er... breeding like rabbits?"

Blake rolled her eyes. "That is SUCH a stereotype."

Yang held up her hands. "Hey, I know where to draw the line. I wouldn't say something like that. I mean, I get it. People say a lot of things about blonds. Especially ones who... er..."

Blake grinned. "Who have enormous boobs?"

Yang laughed. "Exactly. People assume that I'm some mindless bimbo. I mean, I play into it sometimes, right before I punch someone in the face for it, anyway."

Blake chuckled. "Well, I have never assumed that you are mindless, Yang."

Yang smiled. "Thanks..." she blinked. "Hey!"

Pyrrha chuckled. "That was pretty funny."

Blake put up a hand in apology. "Obviously I'm kidding, Yang. I haven't seen you with anyone, romantically, anyway. You like to flirt a bit... but..."

Yang grinned, putting her hands behind her head. "Hey, flirting is fun. And harmless, so long as everyone knows it's just for fun."

Blake nodded. "I do understand that much about you, Yang. You're not any kind of bimbo. You're a good big sister to Ruby, and a good partner to me."

Yang smiled warmly. "Aww... I like you too, partner." She grinned, glancing at Pyrrha. "So, Pyrrha, any fetishes of yours you'd like to share with the class?"

Pyrrha groaned and laid back on her own bed. "You really are incorrigible, Yang."

Yang grinned widely. "But you love me anyway, right?"

Pyrrha chuckled. "Perhaps."

Ruby, who'd climbed into her bunk almost as soon as they'd gotten back to their dorm, had been listening to the conversation but not participating, being by stages too embarrassed to chip in and too interested in the conversation to interrupt. Despite her big sister's teasing nature, Yang DID tend to leave her out of the more... adult conversations most of the time, and this was almost the most risque conversation Ruby had ever managed to listen in on. She had great deal of difficulty not giggling at parts, but she really didn't want them to stop talking... or focus on her.

It was odd. In her previous timeline, team RWBY hadn't had nearly so many... interesting conversations as her current team had, especially not so early in the semester. It had probably been Weiss's influence, Ruby was forced to admit. The Schnee heiress was a very nice girl, but she tended to create a sense of... propriety around her. Blake, on the other hand, had always had a wry wit that could rival Yang's sense of humor, but both of them had been rather more subdued while sharing a dorm with Weiss. Pyrrha, on the other hand, did nothing to rein Yang's more boisterous tendencies in, and, in fact, her shy demeanor seemed to egg Yang on. Ruby knew how much Yang loved to make people blush if she could get away with it. She'd been one of her sister's more frequent targets, but Pyrrha seemed to be filling that roll as well.

Pyrrha didn't really seem to mind. Ruby had never seen Pyrrha laugh so much, or be so animated and happy seeming before. During the previous time line, she'd seemed happy enough most of the time, but rarely as cheerful as she seemed now.

"We've got a really great team." Ruby said out loud.

"Well, duh." Yang responded. "Did you just now realize that?"

Ruby leaned over the side of her bed to look over at her sister. "Well, I KNEW we had a great team from the start. I just... I really like this team. Today was rough, but... we came through it. And I'm really happy we're alright."

"Me too." Blake said quietly. "I'm really glad I got on this team with you three. I don't know if I'd have felt as welcomed in any other group."

"I agree." Pyrrha said with a quiet reverence in her voice. "I must admit, I wasn't certain at first." Her voice grew serious. "Ruby... it seemed obvious to me that you knew who I was from the first moment you saw me. I was wary of... well, of what I thought must be another fan, only wanting to get close to me because of my fame."

Ruby winced. "I don't see you like that, Pyrrha, I..."

"I know that now." Pyrrha interrupted firmly. "And I'm very glad you chose me to be your partner. I'm still not quite sure why you did. Perhaps I don't wish to know. I do know that it certainly seems to have worked out for the best."

Ruby sighed. She couldn't tell Pyrrha the truth. Telling her that she'd only sought out Pyrrha to become her partner because she'd wanted to protect her from being killed was too far fetched to be believed... and kind of crazy stalkerish if taken out of context.

She decided to go with a deflection. "I think Weiss would have been a good partner for you, Pyrrha. There is more to Weiss than a girl who just wants fame and power. As for me? Sure, I recognized you. I was pretty surprised to see someone who's face I'd seen on cereal boxes. But I approached you because you looked lonely. After that, I decided to become partners with you because I liked you right away when we met. That's the truth. If you'd been all polite and distant... or mean, or someone I didn't like right away, I'd have looked for someone else. I wouldn't have chosen you if I didn't like you for you, Pyrrha."

Pyrrha smiled, although Ruby couldn't see it, she could hear the smile in her voice. "I know that, Ruby. That's the sort of person you are. I've figured that much out for myself. I was actually really impressed when you tracked me down during initiation. You came right to me after being launched off a catapult. Your skill at aerial maneuvering is really quite remarkable. I am not nearly so accomplished at that kind of technique."

Ruby shrugged. "It's my semblance... and Crescent Rose, of course. Milo doesn't have anywhere near the recoil, you really couldn't do tricks like I do without similar gear."

Pyrrha glanced over at Yang. "I noticed you also have a very mobile style of fighting. You use your gauntlets for movement just like Ruby does with her weapon."

Yang grinned. "Yeah. I could have made them with less of a kick, but using the recoil to maneuver works great, especially now that I've gotten practiced at it." She leaned over the top of her bunk bed to peer down at Blake. "What about you, Blakey? Did you use your super ninja powers to track me down that first day?"

Blake shook her head. "I'm afraid not. I simply was rushing toward where I expected the relics to be located as fast as I could. You were just the first person I saw. I DID see you sail by overhead. I think you probably got the most distance off that initial launch."

Yang grinned. "Yeah, I decided to go for distance. I've always liked going fast. That's why I built Bumblebee."

Blake blinked. "Bumblebee?"

Yang's grin widened. "My motorcycle. You can catch a ride with me into town sometime if you like. But be warned, I like to drive FAST."

Blake smiled. "Sounds good to me."

Pyrrha sounded interested. "Oh my! I've never ridden on a motorcycle before. And you say you built it yourself?"

Yang shrugged. "Well, rebuilt. Got her from a junkyard. Rubes helped a lot. She's a lean mean driving machine now though."

"Working on Bumblebee was fun." Ruby mentioned, breaking out with a yawn a moment later. "I like working with machines..."

"Sounds like it's getting about time to call it a night." Yang said, laying back herself and stretching.

"It has been a very eventful evening..." Pyrrha agreed.

"Stressful too." Blake said with a sigh. "It's been a rollercoaster."

"Tomorrow will be better." Ruby said reassuringly.

Blake grunted. "I doubt it."

Ruby peeked down over the side of her bed, looking worried. "Do you think it'll be really bad tomorrow?"

Blake sighed, then shrugged. "I'll live, I think, but that's not what I meant. Sure, tomorrow will be rough. Everyone is going to be staring at me, even if no one says or does anything. But it won't be as good as today." She smiled. "Today was pretty great. Sure, I got outed as a faunus. But you know what? I'm really glad I did! I don't have to hide who I am anymore, and I learned how much my team cares about me. I even made friends with Weiss Schnee!"'

Ruby giggled, and laid back again. "I guess, when you put it that way, it kind of was a pretty good day."

Yang chuckled. "Yup. I mean, not for Jack. Poor guy got wrung through the wringer."

Blake chuckled. "Not a great day for Cardin and his team, either, I'd think."

Pyrrha laughed lightly. "No, I don't suppose it was."

Ruby giggled. "Goodnight Blake. Goodnight Pyrrha. Goodnight Yang."

Pyrrha took a deep, contented breath. "Good night Ruby. Goodnight Blake. Goodnight Yang."

Blake put her hands behind her head. "Goodnight Ruby. Goodnight Pyrrha. And goodnight to you too, Yang."

Yang chuckled. "Goodnight Rubes. Night P-money! Goodnight my feisty catgirl fetish model!"

Three pillows hit Yang in rapid succession.

* * *

**The fact that Blake's father actually founded the White Fang, (and that he's the chieftain of a small island nation) is something I can't believe that no one in Beacon figured out. I mean... sure, when Blake was pretending to be human, maybe nobody makes the connection between her and her, undoubtedly famous, father, but after Blake's secret came out? Weiss at least should have known. Or was her education completely void of mentions of the names of famous faunus?**

****Ah well. I suppose most 17 year olds don't know the name of the leader of many nations outside of their own, so it's not all THAT far fetched. Still, I can't help but think that Weiss would certainly have felt sympathy for someone having a powerful and famous father who they personally disagreed with...****

**The general feeling among fans is that Ozpin knew, at the least, and probably the other faculty was in the know as well. Certainly Oobleck didn't seem shocked when Blake was talking about her time in the White Fang while they were camping out in Mountain Glenn. And he was pretty obviously listening in. But if they did know who Blake was, why did the staff at Beacon never contact Ghira or Kali? For a headmaster of a school, Ozpin was REALLY kind of lax...  
**


	5. Chapter 5

History class with Doctor Oobleck was their first class the next day, and, with some irony, the subject had come around to the Faunus Wars. For Blake, she got more than a few astonished stares, but, as Oobleck was quick to jump on inattention in his class, most of her fellow students went quickly back to at least appearing to pay attention to the lesson.

Ruby was thrilled, for once, to have done some extra reading on the subject, and for once she was able to follow along with the professor's usually blisteringly fast lecture speed. When Oobleck brought up the topic of humans forcing Faunus to go to the island of Menagerie, she glanced at Blake curiously, wondering idly what Blake's homeland was like. Maybe Blake would invite her there someday? It'd be cool to travel all the way around the world and see a neat island filled with all sorts of neat faunus people. Although maybe it'd be weird. Were there any humans there? Would they not like her there because she was human? Ruby decided to ask what Blake thought about it after class.

Oobleck then asked the class if anyone had been discriminated against for being a faunus, and Ruby glanced around, noticing that pretty much every Faunus in the room raised their hand, although Velvet looked particularly embarrassed to do so. The class went silent when Blake calmly raised her own hand, and, almost as one, most of the people in class looked at Jack Spriggin, who winced noticeably.

"Dreadful, simply dreadful..." Doctor Oobleck said with a shake of his head.

Blake spoke up, her hand still raised. "I'd like to say, officially, that I haven't been discriminated against by my own team. Or by Jack Spriggin and his team, despite what rumors may say. Jack's scroll was used to make it seem like he'd done so, but it wasn't him."

Doctor Oobleck raised an eyebrow at the interruption, but nodded. "Yes, quite. I'm glad to see that such division does NOT mar your team dynamics."

Velvet looked surprised, glancing up at Blake, then at Jack as if reassessing the small boy. Then, most of the faunus in the room glanced at Cardin. It was only for a moment, but it was easy to see if you were paying attention.

Oobleck nodded once to Blake, then barreled back into his lesson as if he'd never been interrupted.

Cardin and his team were steadfastly ignoring most of the other people in class entirely. Cardin amused himself by tossing bits of paper at Jack Spriggin, who the larger boy typically sat behind, and Jack grunted at one point, swiping irritably at the back of his head.

Oobleck, who had been in the middle of asking a question about how the Faunus had defeated General Lagune at the battle at Fort Castle, zoomed up to the boy. "Excellent. What is the answer, Mister Spriggin?"

Jack had, luckily, been paying at least some attention to the lecture, but his face froze as he fought for the answer. From out of Oobleck's sight, Blake smirked, then leaned her head to one side to catch the small boy's attention.

Jack was stalling. "Well, the reason the Faunus had an advantage was..."

Blake pointed at her own eyes, blinking them once. She pointed at her ears, then again, with more emphasis, at her eyes again.

Jack made his best guess. "Superior senses?"

Oobleck considered that for a moment. "A good guess, Mister Spriggin. Anyone else?" He looked up at Cardin, who'd snorted at Jack's answer. "Cardin, perhaps you'd care to answer the question?"

Cardin, his feet up on the desks in front of him, shrugged. "I know that it's easier to train an animal than it is to train a soldier."

"You're not the most open-minded of individuals, are you Cardin." Pyrrha said, speaking up for the first time that day.

Cardin glared at her. "What? You've got a problem?"

Pyrrha turned back to face Doctor Oobleck. "No, I have the answer. Nightvision. Many faunus are known to have nearly perfect sight in the dark." She glanced at Blake, who was sitting next to her, and Blake nodded her agreement.

Blake spoke up a moment later. "General Lagune was inexperienced and made the mistake of attacking the Faunus in their sleep. His massive army was outmatched, and the general was captured." She turned to Cardin with a grin. "Perhaps if the general had paid more attention in class, he wouldn't be remembered as such a failure."

Cardin growled and moved as if to stand, but Doctor Oobleck, was, as always, attentive. "Mister Winchester, please take your seat." He paused before continuing. "You can see me after class for additional readings."

As everyone (except Cardin) filed out of the hall, Velvet stopped Blake, looking curious. "So, what really happened?"

Knowing what Velvet was referring to, Blake sighed, jerking her head toward the inside of the classroom. "Cardin and his team stole Jack's scroll to make that post. Miss Goodwitch ended up finding out about it though."

"Well, I'm glad you found out the truth." Velvet glanced to Jack, who just sighed, looking resigned, before turning back to Blake. "And I'm glad your teams don't care about you being a faunus."

Blake looked embarrassed. "I thought you might be mad at me for hiding who I am for so long."

Velvet shook her head. "Believe me, if I could have hidden my ears when I first got to Beacon, I would have. My team doesn't care about that stuff either, but people like Cardin make it difficult sometimes." She looked at Weiss curiously. "You say team Winter all supports you?"

Blake nodded firmly. "Weiss isn't the SDC, or her father. She and I are friends."

Velvet beamed. "That's great. I guess a lot of us were kind of worried about..."

Blake nodded. "I think Weiss might know what it's like to be judged for... for things she was born with, pretty well, actually."

Velvet looked thoughtful at that. "I hadn't thought about it that way before." She gave Weiss a more considering look. "None of us can do anything about who our family are, can we?"

Blake shook her head. "No we can't."

/-/

Blake got stares from all sides for the rest of the day, and Ruby winced every time she heard furtive whispers about her cat-faunus teammate start up, knowing that Blake probably heard even more, but Blake put up with all of it without seeming to be bothered in the slightest. Yang and Pyrrha made sure to flank Blake most of the day, and occasionally one or the other of the two would give someone a hard stare if they were being overly rude, but by the end of the day, rather than seeming annoyed or defeated, Blake almost seemed happier than usual. The teachers all gave Blake honest smiles when they saw her without her bow, although none of them mentioned it, and by the end of the day, the novelty of Blake's faunus nature seemed to have mostly worn off.

Cardin's team was getting more than their usual share of evil looks, and not only from the faunus students. Jack had to suffer through some angry looks as well, but Blake, and later Velvet, and then others, quietly shared the truth with those who still thought him to blame for the incident the day before, and before long, angry looks had changed to nods of acknowledgment, and the occasional polite word.

Team RPBY and Team WJNR met up that night for another unarmed combat training session, and again, Pyrrha took up the roll of instructor with ease.

"I think we should break up into pairs tonight." Pyrrha began. "Some of us are quite a bit more skilled with hand to hand than others, so if those of us who are more skilled could partner with someone who has more to learn, I think we could get more done."

Nora grinned. "Hey Yang, want to show me how to kick ass and punch faces?"

Yang threw the smaller girl a thumb's up. "No problem!"

Weiss wrinkled her nose. "How should the rest of us pair up, Pyrrha?"

Pyrrha thought about it. "Ren, why don't you pair up with Weiss? I think your style might suit her best." She turned to Blake. "Blake, you're the fastest of us besides Ruby, why don't you show her how to use her speed better?" She nodded at Jack. "Jack, how about you work with me?"

Everyone nodded and went to work. Ruby found herself sharing the middle of the arena with Blake. "OK..." Blake wrinkled her nose. "I've never taught anyone how to fight before..." she admitted. "Maybe we should start by sparring, and I'll try and figure out what I know that I can teach you along the way?"

Ruby grinned. "That sounds cool. Let's get started!"

It wasn't cool. Blake knocked Ruby around the arena with ease, and struggled with trying to explain what Ruby needed to do to get better. After a solid twenty minutes of gaining bruises and not learning anything, Ruby gave up, staggering over to the side of the arena and slumping against it.

"I'm never going to get any better at this." Ruby complained to the cat faunus.

"Don't say that... you're... you're getting a lot better!" Blake encouraged a bit lamely. Then she sighed. "I'm just not very good at teaching, I think. Like I said, I've never done this before."

Ruby just sighed and looked around at the others. Yang was apparently teaching Nora basic punches and blocks, while Ren ran Weiss through a martial arts kata slowly. Both Weiss and Nora seemed to be learning steadily. Pyrrha had been sparring with Jack between periods of instruction, and while the short boy wasn't showing any obvious signs of improvement, he did seem like he really did know what he was doing, only losing out to Pyrrha in small ways on strength, reach, and technique. After a few minutes, however, Pyrrha noticed Blake and Ruby sitting quietly at the side of the arena, and came over, followed by Jack.

"Not going so well, I take it?" Pyrrha said, trying to be polite.

"I suck." Ruby answered bluntly.

Blake shrugged helplessly. "I'm really not sure how to help her. My training wasn't very formal, so I'm not sure how to teach Ruby what she needs to know."

Pyrrha smiled and nodded slowly. "Well, why don't we switch partners for awhile? I can go over the basics with Ruby for the rest of the night, and you can spar with Jack?"

Blake looked at Jack, who shrugged, and Blake nodded. "Sure. You're better at teaching this stuff than I am, anyway, Pyrrha."

Pyrrha blushed modestly. "I have had the benefit of quite a bit of training under very skilled instructors. I can't claim all the credit by any means."

Blake chuckled. "Well, it shows, and I'm sure you'll do better at teaching Ruby than I have been."

"I can only try." Pyrrha amended. She held out a hand to Ruby, who took it, letting the tall amazonian girl drag her to her feet. "How are you feeling, Ruby?"

Ruby took a deep breath. "I'm OK. What should we try first?"

Pyrrha took Ruby over to an unused corner, then looked over her thoughtfully. "Well, let's start with your stance."

Ruby blinked. "What do you mean?"

Pyrrha stepped in and gave Ruby a hard shove, causing the smaller girl to fall on her butt. "You need to be lower to the ground, with your feet wider." Ruby winced, looking up at Pyrrha with a slightly hurt expression. Pyrrha's face softened, and she reached down to help Ruby up again. "It's important, Ruby. Watch my feet." Pyrrha demonstrated what she wanted, then gestured to Ruby, who did her best to imitate Pyrrha's stance. Pyrrha walked slowly around Ruby, then put her hands on the smaller girl's shoulders and helped adjust Ruby's feet with gentle nudges from her own. Once Ruby passed inspection, Pyrrha abruptly pushed her again. Ruby wavered and nearly fell, but managed to stay on her feet. "Better." Pyrrha said with a smile. "Why don't I show you a basic kata from a form my mother taught me..."

It wasn't exactly the most fun she'd ever had. Pyrrha was nearly as demanding an instructor as her Uncle Qrow had been, although where her Uncle teased and cajoled her, Pyrrha tended to use kind words and gentle encouragement, rewarding her with a bright smile when Ruby did something right. Ruby had always felt warm and happy when her Uncle praised her for doing something right, and she felt just as happy when Pyrrha did the same. Maybe more so. There was something about the Mistralian champion's pleased smile that made even her favorite uncle lose his place as her favorite teacher in favor of Pyrrha Nikos. Not that she'd tell Qrow that. By the end of the night, Ruby had some basic moves down, at least well enough to do them without Pyrrha having to constantly correct her form.

"I think that's enough for tonight..." Pyrrha announced after they'd all been training for nearly three hours. "We've all got classes in the morning."

"And homework to do." Weiss was quick to agree. "We can't let our grades suffer, even if I'm quite sure this will help in our combat classes."

As everyone prepared to go, Blake put a hand on Ruby's shoulder, holding her back. "Ruby, could we talk for a bit? Privately?"

Ruby hesitated, then nodded, wondering what Blake wanted, but willing to listen to whatever it was her dark-haired friend wanted to say.

Yang glanced at Blake with a curious expression, then her eyes grew mischievous. "Going to ask my baby-sister out, Kitten?" She said, just loud enough for the others to overhear. Ruby and Blake both blushed at the sudden, if subtle, attention the comment got from the rest of the group.

"What? No!" Blake nearly shouted back, then winced. "Yang... could you please not... be Yang about this. I just... I just wanted to talk with Ruby about something for a bit, OK?"

Yang chuckled. "Sure, sure." She made shooing gestures at the rest of their combined teams. "OK, OK, let's give the love birds some privacy, right?"

"Yang! We are not love birds!" Ruby shouted, then went bright red as her own words registered. "Yang..." She whined, looking at the floor.

Yang chuckled softly, then waved her hands at everyone else to keep them moving. "Heh. You know I love you Rubes." She winked at Blake. "Don't keep her out too late Kitten. I'll be waiting up."

Blake sighed and looked skyward, and Yang followed everyone else away, leaving them alone in the arena.

When they were finally alone, Ruby cleared her throat. "So... what did you want to talk about, Blake?" She tried not to blush. "You aren't really going to... er... ask me..."

Blake flushed as well. "No. No. Not that there is anything wrong with you, I just... that's not what I wanted to talk about."

Ruby took a relieved breath. "Good! I mean, I think that's good? I mean, I'm sure you'd make a great girlfriend for someone sometime... I'm just... I'm not sure I'd be very good at being a girlfriend..." she finished the last sentence very quickly, blurring the words together. "I mean I've never even dated anyone, not that I don't like you or anything, I just don't even know what I'd like or who or anything..." she trailed off. "And I'm babbling again."

Blake nodded. "Yes."

Ruby lowered her head. "You wanted to talk about something else entirely, didn't you."

Blake nodded again, looking a bit flustered. "Yes. I've been wanting to talk to you about what you talked to me about the other night on the roof."

Ruby blinked. "About you being a faunus?"

Blake frowned. "More about you wanting to know more about the White Fang... or more specifically, about you wanting to go after Roman Torchwick."

Ruby's face fell. "Oh. That."

Blake nodded firmly. "Yes, that. Ruby... I really think you should tell the rest of our team about this. Even if I thought trying to hunt down Roman Torchwick was a good idea, which I don't, if you wanted to even consider it, it's not something you should even consider doing alone, or even just with me. It's too dangerous."

Ruby slowly nodded. "You're right, Blake. I'm just not sure how to talk to Yang about it, or Pyrrha, or anyone. I mean... I think they'd just tell me not to worry about it, or that it's too dangerous..."

Blake raised an eyebrow. "It's a lot more dangerous if you tried to do it by yourself, you know."

Ruby nodded in agreement. "I know. And I won't go out by myself. I won't ask you to go with me either. Just the two of us isn't really enough either. I do know that much."

Blake took a deep breath. "I've been thinking about it, and, to be honest, I do want to find out what's going on. I can't understand why the White Fang would work with Roman Torchwick. It's really hard to believe that they would. So I would like to see what we can find out. But... if we're going to do this..."

Ruby nodded. "We'll tell the others. Actually, I think we should tell team Winter too. I know they'd be willing to help."

Blake smiled slightly. "Actually, I think so too. And you're right. We'd be a lot safer as a bigger group."

Ruby sighed. "It's just... talking to Yang about it. If I don't explain it right, she'll try and talk me out of it. She might even tell on me if she think's I'm going to get hurt or something."

Blake considered that. "She's been taking care of you for a long time, huh?"

Ruby nodded softly. "She's been kind of like a mom to me since my mom died. Yang has always looked out for me. I know she cares a lot. But that's what makes this so hard. She's going to want to keep me from doing anything dangerous."

Blake shrugged. "Maybe. But if so, you know it's because she loves you, right?"

Ruby nodded, then sighed. "Of course I know that. Let's just... let's see if we can figure out something first. Maybe if we have some sort of plan, it'll be easier to explain what we want to do to everyone?"

Blake wrinkled her nose. "OK. We'll keep working on it between the two of us for now. But we tell the others before we go do anything actually risky, right?"

Ruby nodded immediately. "Of course! We're a team. We're not going to leave our team behind. As much as I don't want Yang or Pyrrha or any of our friends to do anything dangerous either, we're a lot stronger as a team then we are separately."

Blake smiled. "We are."

/-/

When they got back to their dorm room, Yang, as promised, was waiting up for them, an anticipatory grin on her face. "So? Done making out with my baby sister, Kitten?"

Ruby ran over to Yang and started beating on the older girl with her tiny fists. "YANG! Quit it! We're not doing that!"

Blake just chuckled and headed for the bathroom. "I'm going to get changed for bed."

Yang watched Blake go curiously, fending off Ruby with practiced ease. "What are you and Blakey up to, little sis?" She finally asked as Blake closed the bathroom door behind her. "You sure you aren't off canoodling?"

Ruby blinked. "What's canoodling?"

Yang chuckled. "It means making out. Kissing, petting, all the fun stuff."

Ruby wrinkled her nose. "Eww. Yang, no. Blake and I are not kissing, or anything."

Yang raised an eyebrow. "Why not? Blake not cute enough for you?"

Ruby rolled her eyes. "Maybe I'm not cute enough for her."

Yang snorted. "Rubes, you're cuter than a pile of puppies. That's not it."

Ruby sighed. "We're just friends, Yang. We're not sneaking around making out in closets."

Yang shrugged, then sat back on Blake's bed. "OK, then what's the big secret? What have you two got going on that you don't want the rest of us to know about?"

Ruby opened her mouth, then closed it. "It's a secret?" she finally tried.

Yang looked unimpressed. "Well duh. Why are you two keeping secrets, anyway?"

Ruby raised an eyebrow. "If I tell you, it's not a secret anymore... DUH." she returned, sticking out her tongue.

Yang went silent. "Hmm. Fine, fine. But Pyrrha and I are going to just think you're sneaking around to hide your passionate love affair unless you give us some other reason."

Pyrrha waved a hand helplessly in front of her face. "No... no. That's not what we're thinking."

Yang looked at Pyrrha with a knowing smile. "Sure, Pyrrha. Whatever you say."

Pyrrha gave her a pained look. "Yang, perhaps we should just allow Ruby and Blake their privacy on the matter. I'm sure that if it's important, they will tell us what it entails."

Yang looked at Pyrrha knowingly. "So, you're not at all worried that they're busy hooking up?"

Pyrrha flushed. "Of course not. Even if they were, that is hardly any of my business, now is it?"

Yang just shook her head. "Whatever you say, P-money."

Blake came back in to the bedroom, now wearing her short Yukata. "Are you done with the interrogation yet?" she asked lightly.

Yang looked at her hard for a long moment, then shrugged. "Eh. For now, I guess."

Blake nodded, looking mildly annoyed. "Good. It's about time."

Yang groaned and got up from Blake's bed, climbing up into her own upper bunk. "OK, I'm sorry. Maybe I am being too nosy." Ruby growled and stomped off to the bathroom to change for bed, and before long, they could hear the sound of the shower running.

When she was gone, Yang looked down at Blake. "Seriously, I'm not going to get mad if you and my sister are together."

Blake looked at Yang in frustration, then sighed. "It's really not like that. I don't think Ruby likes girls anyway."

Yang raised an eyebrow. "Huh. OK. What about you, Kitten?"

Blake blinked. "What?"

Yang shrugged. "Do you like girls or guys?"

Blake hesitated. "I used to have a boyfriend, sort of. It didn't work out, mostly because he wanted to kill people, but..."

Yang raised an eyebrow. "OK... wow. But that doesn't really answer my question."

Blake frowned. "Doesn't it?"

Yang shook her head. "Having a boyfriend, sort of, doesn't mean you like guys. It means you were 'sort of' dating a guy. How far did you two go?"

"None of your business." Blake huffed.

Yang grunted. "OK, fair enough. Is that your answer then? You like guys?"

Blake was silent. "Maybe? I mean, I think I do?"

Yang hummed quietly for a minute. "How about girls. Do you like girls at all?"

Blake sighed, not answering right away. "Maybe." She finally admitted, quietly. "I've never dated a girl though."

Yang nodded slowly. "Yeah. I get that. Hard to find a date when you're... er... doing... stuff."

Blake snorted. "You mean being a member of a terrorist group? Plenty of people in the White Fang date, you know."

Yang grunted again. "So, this guy you were with. What was he like?"

"He was my mentor." Blake said softly after only a short pause. "When I looked at him, I thought, this person is the personification of Justice. He was driven, determined. Stronger than anyone I've ever met..." she sighed. "But he changed. He stopped wanting to protect the faunus, and started just wanting to hurt humans. If I wanted to use a single word to define him now, I think it'd be spite. All he has left is anger and resentment and the desire to hurt."

Yang flinched. "He didn't...?"

Blake sighed. "He never hurt me... like that. He scared me, sometimes, but I never let him realize that I was losing faith in him. Not till I left. And when I left, I ran, as hard and as fast as I could."

Pyrrha spoke up quietly. "Did you love him at first?"

Blake sighed. "I think so. Or maybe I was more in love with the idea of what I thought he was."

The sound of the water from the bathroom cut off abruptly, and Yang lowered her voice. "What about Ruby? I mean, OK, you're not dating, or making out or anything. I'll take your word on it. But do you like her?"

Blake glanced over at Pyrrha, who looked away, blushing, and groaned. "I don't know, OK? Just... please drop it Yang. Ruby and I aren't together, and I'm not planning to change that." She looked at Pyrrha again, who was frowning slightly and not looking at her. "I don't think Ruby is thinking about anyone that way just now anyway."

The door opened, Ruby in her pajamas, a towel around her shoulders. "Time for bed!" She started cheerfully, then noticed the somber mood. "What? What did I miss?"

Yang grinned down at her younger sister. "Nothing, Rubes. Just talking about old boyfriends."

Ruby looked interested. "Oh? I want to hear! Yang never tells me about any of her boyfriends."

Yang grimaced. "First, I had one boyfriend, and we broke it off ages ago."

Ruby raised an eyebrow. "You brought more than one boy home to meet dad..."

Yang rolled her eyes. "Those weren't boyfriends. Those were... boys that were friends. Totally different thing."

Ruby looked dubious. "Did all of them know that?"

Yang shrugged. "Maybe?"

Ruby looked at Pyrrha. "How about you, Pyrrha? Did you leave a boyfriend behind when you came to Beacon?"

Pyrrha shook her head, smiling slightly. "I'm afraid not. I was quite busy training at Sanctum Academy." She sighed. "And to be perfectly honest, I was never asked out. People seemed to find me rather unapproachable. It was difficult to live down my reputation, I am afraid." She sighed again. "I realize it probably sounds like bragging, but my reputation as the 'Invincible Girl' seemed to put me so high up on a pedestal that no one dared consider me as a friend, much less a girlfriend. And I found it equally difficult approaching other people."

Ruby looked sad. "I'm sorry, Pyrrha. That must have been awful."

Pyrrha sighed, then smiled. "Things are much better here at Beacon. You girls all treat me like a regular person. You can't understand how wonderful that is."

Yang hesitated, then looked over the side of the bed. "Well, if someone did approach you to ask you out, who'd you prefer? A boy or a girl?"

Pyrrha looked up at Yang, as if waiting for the blond brawler to wink or smile at her, but Yang's face was perfectly serious. "Why do you ask, Yang?" she smiled slightly. "Interested?" she teased.

Yang laughed. "Sure, P-money. You're hot as hell, who wouldn't be?" She shrugged, going more serious again. "If you're asking if I like guys or girls, I guess the answer is yes."

Pyrrha blinked. "Er..."

Yang shrugged. "Guys can be sexy. So can girls. Right now I'm not really focused on dating, I guess."

"We ARE kind of at a school to learn to hunt Monsters." Blake said wryly. "MAYBE not the best time to start a relationship."

"Kind of seems like a pretty good time to me." Yang disagreed. "I mean, we're surrounded by attractive, athletic, heroic guys and girls, right? If you like that type, anyway."

Blake raised an eyebrow. "So you are looking?"

Yang chuckled. "Oh, I LOOK. There's plenty to look at, and momma likes what she's seeing." She shrugged. "But I don't know. I haven't quite had that moment, you know? The one where you just know that the person you're with is the one."

Blake looked dubious. "Love at first sight?"

Yang shook her head. "I don't know if I believe in that. It's just... I flirt, and look, I get to know people. One of these days, I'll know who, and I'll do something about it. Right now, I'm just having fun and keeping my options open."

Pyrrha sighed. "You make it sound so easy."

Yang shook her head. "It's not easy. You have to be open to the idea, I guess. And sometimes, you feel like you have a connection, but the other person never got the message, you know?"

Pyrrha and Blake both sighed simultaneously, then glanced at each other, then they both laughed. "Oh, I think we know what that's like." Blake agreed for both of them. Pyrrha simply nodded.

Ruby just looked confused.

/-/

Over the next several days, Ruby considered her options. She needed to figure out how to stop Torchwick and the White Fang, and Cinder and her team, before they enacted their plan. The trouble was, how to do it?

The next time Ruby could be certain of where Torchwick would be would be at the docks, when he raided that SDC shipment of dust. Ruby pulled out the school calendar to try to figure out exactly what day that would be.

"Weiss wanted to go check out our competition for the Vital Festival as they would be arriving, and we saw that Dust shop had been robbed..." Ruby thought about that. "That probably was Roman, so maybe we can try stopping him there?" She frowned. "Only Roman's going to be on a different schedule now, since I got him arrested. He'll probably still be robbing dust stores, but there is no way of knowing which store he'll rob when." She considered the problem. "I bet he'd still try and steal the dust from that SDC shipment at the same time, since it wouldn't be sitting on the docks forever. Once it's there, he'd only have a short while to steal it, right?"

That sounded good, so Ruby went back to trying to figure out the date. "OK, so the first of the students coming for the Vital Festival came, and Weiss and Blake got into that big fight about the White Fang, and Blake ran away, and we looked for her for the next two days... and we found her when we saw the explosion coming from the docks! It was the middle of the night! And we had school the next morning, so it had to have been a Sunday night, right?"

She poured over the school calendar till she found it. "OK, so the students from the other schools will be coming here right before the semester break. So the Sunday after that, the SDC will bring in a big load of dust to the docks, and Roman will try and steal it. Probably."

Ruby sighed. "I really hope getting him arrested like that won't change things so much that he doesn't rob that shipment, or I have no idea how to find him!" She looked thoughtful. "We met Penny on the same day Blake ran away, and we met her again Sunday morning while we were searching for Blake. I hope we run into Penny again. Penny is really strong, and I'm sure she'd be willing to help if I explain things to her right."

She frowned. "The next time I know for sure that something will happen is during the dance. Cinder... I'm sure it was Cinder, snuck into the CCT that night. She'll probably do the same thing this time through unless I change something, right?" Ruby thought about that. "Yeah, we fought Torchwick in his giant robot between then and the docks, but that was because we were out looking, and Blake and Sun nearly got caught during that White Fang rally. That's too dangerous to try again."

Ruby nodded firmly to herself. "So it's simple. We'll catch Torchwick at the docks, and we'll stop Cinder at the CCT. Once we've done that much, we can stop the White Fang at Mountain Glenn, and everything will be taken care of." She swallowed. "I hope?"

"What are you muttering to yourself about there, Rubes?" Yang asked, striding over to where Ruby was sitting in the Library.

"Oh... just thinking about... homework. Yeah!" Ruby lied poorly.

"Riiiight." Yang drawled, obviously not buying it. "So... I've been meaning to talk to you."

Ruby blinked. "What about, Yang?"

Yang wrinkled her nose. "I'm really not sure how to say this, so I'm going to just come out and ask. Do you like girls, Rubes?"

Ruby's eyes went wide, then she frowned. "Eww... Yang, we're sisters!"

Yang looked astonished. "What? No! No! Ruby, no... that's not why I'm asking."

Ruby raised an eyebrow in curiosity, then she got it. "Yang, I keep telling you, Blake and I are not dating."

Yang nodded. "Yeah, I get that. I mean, I still want to know what you two are doing that's so secret, but I believe you when you say you're not sneaking around just to make out."

Ruby shrugged. "OK, so why are you asking me if I like girls?"

Yang frowned. "You do realize that both Blake and Pyrrha are interested in you, right?"

Ruby's eyes went wide as saucers, then she calmed, laughing. "Yang, that's silly. You're silly. They don't like me like that."

Yang nodded. "Um, yeah they do. They're both trying to be sneaky about it, but Pyrrha's terrible at hiding her feelings, and Blake as much as admitted she'd be interested in you if she knew you were up for it."

Ruby swallowed. "Blake said that?"

Yang shrugged. "Basically. So I'm asking. Do you like girls?"

Ruby grimaced. "Yang..."

Yang sighed. "You don't have to tell me if you don't want to. I don't know why you wouldn't. I wouldn't give you a hard time about it."

Ruby's eyes narrowed. "Yang, you literally tease me about every single thing you can think of."

Yang chuckled. "OK, true. But you know I don't care if you like girls or boys or whatever. I just want you to be happy."

Ruby sighed. "Of course I know that, Yang. I guess I just haven't thought about it much."

Yang tilted her head to one side. "So?"

Ruby looked annoyed. "You're going to keep bugging me about this till I answer your question, huh?"

Yang grinned. "Yup."

Ruby sighed. "Fine." She wrinkled her nose, pondering the question. "I don't know." She finally answered.

Yang nodded slowly. "OK, try this. Close your eyes, then think about a boy you were friends with. One you liked a lot. Maybe one of your friends back in Signal."

Ruby sighed, then closed her eyes and thought about it. A boy she was close with? The last boy she'd been close with had been Jaune Arc. She winced internally, remembering how she'd gotten him killed, then took a deep breath and thought about spending time with the team leader of team Juniper. She'd liked Jaune a lot. He was her first friend in Beacon, and probably the best male friend she'd ever had, not that that was saying much.

Ruby spoke up. "OK, I'm thinking about a boy I liked."

Yang nodded. "Now, think about spending time with him. Did you ever feel nervous around him? Or funny, like your stomach was doing flip flops?"

Ruby considered that. She'd never felt nervous around Jaune. He was easy to be around. Good company.

Ruby thought back to other boys, boys who'd she'd been friends with at Signal academy. "No... I guess not."

Yang spoke up. "OK, now think about Blake, and Pyrrha. When you're spending time with them, do you ever feel nervous? Or warm? Weird in any way?"

Ruby thought about training with Pyrrha, how she felt when the Mistralian girl gave her a complement. She thought about confronting Blake about her being a faunus, how she was so worried and nervous that Blake would be scared and run.

"I... I guess I do feel something like that around them?" She admitted slowly. "I like it when Pyrrha gives me a complement when we're training. And I feel nervous around Blake sometimes." She opened her eyes. "But you know, I liked it when Uncle Qrow would complement me in training too, and I'm PRETTY sure I don't have those kinds of feelings for him."

Yang chuckled. "You did love learning how to use Crescent Rose."

Ruby shook her head, then glared at her sister. "Yang... why are you bringing all this up now?" Privately to herself, she asked. And why didn't Yang ever talk to me about this stuff the last time?

Yang shrugged. "Like I said, Blake and Pyrrha are into you, and you seem to like spending time with them. I thought, why not do a little matchmaking?"

Ruby frowned. "Because you never did before."

Yang shrugged again. "Well, you never seemed interested in anyone before, and, frankly, nobody who was interested in you before was someone I would have approved of. I mean, there were a couple boys at Signal who were interested... but they weren't good enough for you."

Ruby's eyes widened. "There were boys who were interested in me? Why am I only hearing about this now?"

Yang chuckled evily. "Like I said, they weren't worthy. I made sure they knew that."

Ruby sighed. "Yang..."

Ruby's big sister just shrugged. "Eh, I didn't hurt them. Just put a little fear of Yang into them."

Ruby opened her mouth, then closed it. If Yang was telling the truth, the only reason she hadn't had this talk with Ruby in the previous timeline was that before, nobody had been interested, or else, nobody Yang felt was worthy of dating her. Ruby decided that she'd have to get Yang back for that at some point, but, she had to admit, it made sense. Pyrrha hadn't had eyes for anyone but Jaune back then. Even she could tell that much, and Blake... Blake had been wrapped up in her own problems in the previous timeline. Ruby had spent a lot more time with Blake this time through. Maybe that was all that it took?

"What about Jack?" Ruby asked her big sister curiously. "You said you thought he might like me, didn't you?"

Yang shrugged. "Yeah... and Jack's... fine, I guess. If you like him back, I've got no problem with it."

Ruby considered it. She thought about the times she spent with Jack and Blake, talking about books and reading in the library. How did she feel around Jack? Ruby tried to remember, but when she tried to think about Jack, all she could think was that Blake had always been around during those times.

"Jack's... nice." Ruby managed.

Yang nodded. "Yeah. Pretty much what I figured. He's a nice guy, but he doesn't do anything for you, right?"

Ruby shrugged. "I guess." She considered all the eligible men she knew. Ren was nice. Quiet, kind... and he was a great cook. But even if it wasn't obvious Nora would murder her if she was actually to try dating him, she had never considered him as anything more than a friend. Other than that, there weren't a lot of eligible guys. Cardin's team were icky to the last man. She didn't really know any of the other boys in school that well.

With some reluctance, Ruby thought about the girls she knew in school. Nora was fun. Lots of fun to be around. Weiss... Ruby realized with a start that she REALLY missed Weiss. Did I have a crush on Weiss the last time through? Ruby wondered in surprise. She tried to think about other girls she knew. Velvet's face flashed into her mind for some reason. The rabbit faunus was really cute, and her accent was really interesting, and her weapon was all kinds of awesome.

Ruby blinked. "I think I like Velvet." she said out loud.

Yang looked surprised. "OK, that was out of left field." She looked thoughtful. "OK, yeah, I can see it. She IS pretty cute, huh?"

Ruby nodded shyly. "Yeah. I guess I do like girls?"

Yang grinned. "Well, there are a lot of cute girls in this school. You've got plenty of options." She looked curious. "So, Velvet, huh? Want me to help set you two up?"

Ruby raised an eyebrow. "Weren't you just asking me all this because you think Blake and Pyrrha are interested in me?" She suddenly blushed as that sunk in. "Oh my gosh... Blake and Pyrrha are interested in me?" Her heart started to hammer and she pictured each girl in her mind's eye, and in a rush of images, she realized that Yang was right. "Oh my gosh, they are! Oh my gosh, what am I going to do?"

Yang put her hands on Ruby's shoulders to calm her. "Relax, sis. You don't have to do anything right away. Just figure out what you want to do, and I'll help you figure out how to do it."

Ruby grimaced. "What I want to do?" She tried to think. "Yang! Blake and Pyrrha are both on our team! If I date one of them, the other one will be jealous! And then they'll have a duel for my honor or something and they'll fight and they'll hate each other and our team will be ruined!"

Yang tightened her grip on Ruby's shoulders a little. "That's not going to happen... although it'd be pretty awesome." At Ruby's horrified gaze, Yang clarified. "The duel thing, not our team being ruined. It'd be kind of sexy, two hot girls fighting over you, don't you think?"

Ruby winced. "Yang, I don't want Blake and Pyrrha to fight. I want them to be friends!"

Yang nodded. "Right. So that's one thing you want. Blake and Pyrrha to get along."

Ruby nodded back, earnestly. "So I can't date either of them. That would make things super awkward, and that's even if they don't fight!"

Yang looked disappointed. "Rubes, I'm pretty sure one of these days, one or both of them is going to ask you out. They won't wait forever."

Ruby bit her lower lip. "Maybe I should try dating someone else before that then? So they don't get mad at each other?"

Yang rolled her eyes. "Dating someone you don't like just so Blake and Pyrrha don't get into a fight is probably not the best idea you've ever had, Ruby. If you're going to date anyone, it should be the person YOU like the best. Don't settle for second best just to make other people happy."

Ruby brightened. "I won't. Besides, I did just figure out that I like Velvet, right?"

Yang nodded agreeably. "OK. Sure." She looked into Ruby's eyes firmly. "Just don't do anything you think you'll regret, OK?"

Ruby sighed. "I won't. I'm just going to ask Velvet on a date." Her eyes widened. "Oh my gosh, I'm going to ask Velvet on a date! I've never asked anyone out before! What do I do?"

Yang grinned. "No worries, Rubes. I've got you covered. Here's what you do..."

/-/

Ruby was too distracted to think clearly. She was supposed to be trying to save the world... well, Vale, and here she was trying to figure out how to ask out a cute girl so that two other cute girls wouldn't have a duel to the death over her and destroy her team... which certainly wouldn't be helpful for trying to save the city from Cinder Fall and Roman Torchwick. She had a plan... or at least, Yang had given her a plan, and it might work, but what if it didn't? What if her dating Velvet caused Blake and Pyrrha to challenge Velvet to a duel? What if the rest of team Coffee got involved and an all out brawl broke out? What if...?

"Miss Rose!" Professor Oobleck's voice broke through her haze. "Would you like to answer the question?"

Ruby nearly jumped out of her seat, and turned to the history instructor. "Er... what was the question again?"

"What was the reason Vacuo joined in the Great War?"

Ruby shook her head, trying to remember. She knew this. "Er... was it that they didn't want to be conquered after Vale?"

Oobleck nodded slowly. "Essentially, yes. Vacuo was afraid that once Vale was defeated, there would be nothing stopping Mistral and Mantel from taking over in Vacuo as well, so they joined the war on the side of Vale." He rushed off, going on about another point about the Great War, but Ruby was already tuning out again.

It was kind of handy taking the same class twice in a row, Ruby supposed. She didn't need to pay hardly as much attention. Idly, she reached into the pocket of her skirt, and fingered the note she'd written. Did she dare give it to Velvet? If she did, she was committed. She'd have to ask her out.

When the timer went off indicating the end of class, Ruby shot up faster than usual, and hurriedly walked by where Velvet was packing up to go. Trying to be as casual as she could, she dropped the note in Velvet's bag as she went by.

Velvet noticed, of course, but before the rabbit faunus could say anything, Ruby was already moving for the door. Curious, she pulled the note out and opened it. Her eyes went wide, and she blinked. "Huh."

/-/

Ten minutes later, Velvet came onto the roof, to the spot where Ruby had taken Blake for the talk where she'd revealed to Blake that she knew of Blake's faunus origins. She spotted Ruby immediately, as the girl was sitting on the edge of the roof, swinging her feet idly as she waited.

"Hi Ruby." Velvet said shyly. "What's up? Why did you want to meet me here?"

Ruby glanced back, then got up, facing Velvet squarely. "Well, I..."She took a deep breath, then took several steps to close the distance. "Er... hi. I kind of wanted to ask you..." Ruby trailed off, losing her nerve.

"Ask me what, Ruby?" Velvet asked, smiling politely back.

"Doyouwannagooutwithme?" Ruby blurted out, then blushed bright red immediately.

Velvet blinked. "Um... what?"

Ruby swallowed and forced herself to slow down. "Do you want to go out with me?" She repeated, much clearer this time. "On a date, I mean? I was thinking a movie in Vale? And a nice restaurant? I know that's kind of cliche, but cliches are cliches for a reason, right... or we could do something simple, like a walk in the forest or something?" Velvet stood there, blinking as Ruby rambled on, getting more and more nervous.

Finally, the rabbit faunus spoke up. "Oh. Ruby..." Her face went through a number of different expressions, confusion, then surprise, then an expression Ruby couldn't quite figure out. Velvet finally smiled softly. "I'm flattered, Ruby. Unfortunately, I'm afraid I don't swing that way."

Ruby went bright red at this point. "Oh my gosh I'm so sorry! I should have..."

Velvet shook her head, still smiling, although she looked a little sad around her eyes. "Oh no, Ruby. You didn't do anything wrong. You were perfect."

Ruby looked at the roof under their feet, frowning in consternation. "I should have found out if you liked boys or girls first though, I guess."

Velvet shook her head. "No, just asking me out was fine. I'm not dating anyone right now, so how would you know otherwise if it was alright or not?" She smiled. "You were very brave to ask like this. I really am flattered."

Ruby looked up slightly, smiling a little. "I was terrified, actually."

Velvet nodded. "I can tell. But that's why you were brave. Being scared but going ahead anyway is really hard." She sighed. "I've never been as brave as you were just now."

Ruby sighed and smiled a little. "That's nice of you to say, even if it isn't true. Still, I feel better now. Getting it out, I mean."

Velvet nodded in understanding. "I am sorry. If you were a boy, I'm certain I'd be interested though. You're a very nice person, Ruby." She hesitated. "I'd still like to be friends, if that's alright?"

Ruby beamed at her. "Of course that's alright! I like you too, Velvet!" She blushed. "I mean... obviously, right? But... I'd like to be friends. That'd be great."

Velvet moved forward and gave Ruby a quick hug. "Good. Friends then?" She stepped back, looking into Ruby's eyes. "Are you going to be OK?"

Ruby nodded. "Yeah. I mean, it's not like I'm crazy in love with you or anything. I just thought... hey, Velvet is really cute, and I kind of like her, maybe we should try dating and see where that goes?"

Velvet smiled. "That seems like a good way to do it." She sighed. "Maybe I should try it myself. I've never managed to bring myself to try to ask someone out before."

Ruby looked interested. "Oh? Is there someone you like?"

Velvet blushed. "I kind of have a bit of a crush on Yatsuhashi, actually. I've never gotten up the courage to tell him."

Ruby grinned. "He's really nice. And tall? That's good, right?"

Velvet giggled. "I think so. And he is very nice."

Ruby gave Velvet a thumb's up. "Well, you should totally go for it! Just... ask him! What's the worse that can happen?"

Velvet winced. "He might say no, and then things will be really weird on my team..."

Ruby winced back. "OK, yeah. That would be kind of bad."

Velvet sighed. "But maybe I should anyway? I mean, who knows?"

Ruby nodded. "And maybe it won't be all that weird? I mean, even if he says no, you'll still be friends, right? It might be awkward for a while, but that won't last forever."

Velvet shrugged. "Maybe." She looked curious. "Speaking of teammates... why haven't you asked out Blake or Pyrrha?"

Ruby blushed. "Oh my gosh! Does everyone know how those two feel about me?"

Velvet giggled. "Maybe not everyone... but I pay attention." She blinked. "But, if you knew about them, why ask me?"

Ruby looked at her weirdly. "Because you're cute and nice and I wanted to ask you?"

Velvet chuckled. "OK, but they're both really good looking. And really strong, and smart."

Ruby nodded. "Yeah, but... they're also both on my team, and what if they say no? Or I ask one, and the other gets mad?"

Velvet nodded slowly. "Ah. Yes, I can see the problem." She frowned. "So you asked me because I wouldn't cause trouble with your team?"

Ruby hesitated. "Not just because of that. I do like you and think you're cute, you know."

Velvet smiled again. "Well, thank you. You're very cute as well, Ruby. I kind of wish I DID like girls that way. You'd be a really great girlfriend, I think."

Ruby poked her fingers together. "Do you really think so?"

Velvet nodded. "I do. I think whoever you do end up with will be very lucky to have you."

Ruby sighed. "I hope so. I don't want to mess this up... when I do manage to ask someone out who actually like/like's me back."

Velvet looked curious. "So, you're not going to ask out Pyrrha, or Blake?"

Ruby's shoulders sagged. "I don't know. It'd probably end in disaster. I don't want to risk the team just because I figured out that girls are cute."

Velvet nodded. "I totally understand." She patted Ruby's shoulder. "Good luck."

Ruby smiled back at her. "Good luck to you too, Velvet. I think you should totally ask Yatsuhashi out though. At the least you won't cause your team to start fighting over you if you do! The worst thing that can happen is that he says no, and things are awkward for awhile."

Velvet shrugged. "I'll think about it. Actually, I think you asking me out today helped a lot. Now that I've been on the receiving end, it doesn't seem so scary to try and ask."

Ruby grinned. "Then my work here is done!" She declared happily. "Ask him, Velvet. It'd make me feel a whole lot better about the whole thing."

Velvet smiled softly. "You know, I think I will."

Ruby smiled. "Let me know how it goes!"

Velvet grinned and moved forward to hug Ruby again. "I will. I promise. Good luck, Ruby." She sighed and pulled away, then started to turn to go. Then she paused, and looked at Ruby thoughtfully. "I think you should figure out who you like the best, and ask her out. I think Pyrrha and Blake are both mature enough to accept whomever you chose. And I think your team is strong enough to stay together even if two of you are dating."

Ruby sighed. "Maybe... but I'm not sure it's worth the risk."

Velvet shrugged. "You'll never know unless you try."

Ruby chuckled. "I wish I could try it, and then go back in time and do it differently if it didn't turn out right."

Velvet giggled. "Now THAT would be a really handy semblance."

Ruby nodded with a wry grin. "Wouldn't it, though?"

/-/

Ruby was alone in the dorm, throwing her Zwei shaped pillow up toward the ceiling and catching it over and over as she mulled things over to herself. It really would have been good if she'd tried to ask someone out during the previous timeline. Then she'd know if it would work out or not. Could she risk it now? She knew things were going to get dangerous. Really dangerous, in the next few months, and she needed her team to be at full strength to face it. What did her chances at romance matter in comparison to saving her friends lives, and protecting Vale from being overrun by Grimm?

Still, now that Yang had gotten her thinking about it, she really was curious as to how it'd work out. Blake, or Pyrrha? She liked them both, really. She hadn't really thought of either girl as a romantic prospect before. Pyrrha had been so obviously interested in Jaune that Ruby had never even considered her that way, and Blake had been so wrapped up in her own problems, that just getting her to cheer up and come to the dance had been all their team could manage. And didn't she go to the dance with Sun? Ruby thought about it. Of course, Blake had also danced with Yang that night, and she hadn't really dated Sun aside from going to the dance with him. So that really didn't mean all that much, did it? Ruby growled to herself. Darn her sister anyway, for getting her head swirling like this with all this useless romantic nonsense! She didn't have time for this!

Yang chose that moment to walk in through the door. "Hey, Rubes? How'd it go with Velvet?"

Ruby answered by hitting her with her Zwei pillow.

Yang winced. "That bad, huh?"


	6. Chapter 6

Tossing the corgi shaped pillow back at her sister, Yang walked up to her sister's bunk and put her elbows up on the side, making herself comfortable. "So, what happened?"

Ruby sighed. "Well, Velvet doesn't like girls like that, to start with. She's got a crush on Yatsuhashi."

Yang blinked, then grinned. "Yeah, he's quite the tall drink of water, huh?"

Ruby rolled her eyes. "I guess he seems nice... but as we figured out, he's not my type."

Yang nodded. "So... was she mad?"

Ruby sighed, then shook her head. "No, she was actually really nice about it. She wants to be friends." she sighed again. "And that's pretty good. I never really got to be friends with Velvet before."

Yang blinked, looking confused, then shook it off. "Well, everyone gets shot down a few times, sis." Yang told her. "Even me. You just have to get back up on the horse..."

Ruby rolled on her side away from her big sister. "Maybe... but not tonight, OK Yang? I think one rejection a night is my limit."

Yang sighed and nodded. "OK Rubes." She pulled herself up by her elbows, then rolled up onto Ruby's bed, and settled down at Ruby's back. "I'm sorry it didn't work out."

Ruby nodded slowly, feeling somewhat better for the presence of her older sister at her back. "It's OK. It was probably the nicest rejection ever, really. Velvet's really nice."

Yang smiled softly. "Cool. Saves me from getting into a brawl with team Coffee to defend your honor."

Ruby snorted. "You would not fight all of team Coffee just because Velvet turned me down."

"Hell yeah I would." Yang said confidently. "I mean, I'd get my ass kicked. But for you, sis? I'd fight anyone."

Ruby snorted again. "It's good that you're not going to do that then."

Yang nodded. "Yeah. But if somebody does hurt you, little sis, remember, they'll have to answer to me about it. Got that?"

Ruby giggled. "Yes Yang. Big sister much punching."

Yang snorted and spoke in her best caveman voice. "Don't make me Yangry, you wouldn't like me when I'm Yangry... Grr..." Ruby snorted and giggled, her sides shaking with laughter. Yang grinned to herself, mission accomplished, and rolled back off Ruby's bed. "So, want to play some Super Ninja Brothers?"

Ruby rolled back to face her sister, then nodded and hopped down off of her bed to join her. "Sure. I'm gonna kick your butt too."

"Bring it on, sis."

/-/

For the rest of the week, Ruby tried to get things back to normal in her head. No saving the city and her friends, no romance, just classes and homework and hanging out with her team and their friends. She could feel time slipping away from her, but she still had plenty of time to deal with Torchwick and Cinder. Cinder wouldn't even show up for another couple months! It was fine.

Team RPBY and Team WJNR remained close, hanging out together at lunch and training together several times a week in the evenings. Ruby was slowly but surely getting better at hand to hand, as were the others. Pyrrha spent most of their training time giving Ruby personal instruction, and Ruby did her best to control how much her heart seemed to race out of control when the Mistralian champion complemented her, or got a little too close while giving her instruction in some grappling technique. She also tried to ignore the occasional heated glances from Blake during those moments. Blake seemed to hardly be aware of it, but now that Ruby knew how she felt, she couldn't help but notice how Blake would glance her way when she was spending time with Pyrrha, looking almost pained, then strive immediately to conceal it.

Ruby noticed Yang noticing, and groaned inwardly, but at least none of their other friends seemed to have cottoned on to the unspoken tension that was starting to build up in team RPBY.

A second week passed, and Pyrrha decided it'd be good for them all to switch up partners for awhile during their team unarmed combat training. Yang started training Weiss in some striking, Ren worked with Nora on agility, Ruby got paired with Jack so she could spar with someone a little closer to her size, and Pyrrha started training Blake, taking the rough edges off of the cat faunus's less formal hand to hand style.

Ruby was more than a little distracted by the concept of the two girls who, supposedly, both had feelings for her, training so closely, and didn't notice that something was different about Jack right away. Still, after the small boy had tossed her around for a few minutes, they stopped so Jack could work on correcting her form for doing a snap kick, and Ruby couldn't help but note that something was almost certainly different with him.

She straightened, looking at him curiously. "Jack, wait a second." She walked right up to him and tried to measure. "Stand straight..." she instructed, then attempted to measure herself against him with her eyes. "Jack, are you taller?"

Jack blinked, then stepped a little closer to Ruby, so that their faces were nearly touching. He looked down slightly into her eyes, and grinned. "Hey! Yeah, I'm taller than you now!" he enthused.

Ruby blinked. "Jack, you were two inches shorter than me when school started."

Jack nodded. "Yeah, that's about right. I was almost the same height as Nora, and now I'm three inches taller than she is."

Ruby's eyes went wide. "You're three inches taller? It hasn't even been a month!"

Jack grinned. "I know! Isn't it awesome?"

Ruby was flabbergasted. "How can you grow so fast?"

Jack looked embarrassed. "Doctor Kitsune thinks my semblance is doing it."

Ruby blinked. "Your semblance is making you taller?"

Jack shrugged. "Yeah. It's kind of a passive semblance. I can't do any cool tricks like you or Blake... but apparently my semblance enhances my body. Well, sort of. My metabolism has gotten more efficient, and I don't get tired as easily, and my bone and muscle density is apparently about fifty percent stronger than average now... and I'm growing pretty fast."

Ruby looked awed. "Your semblance is making you taller!"

Jack chuckled. "Yeah."

Ruby grinned. "That's awesome!"

Jack laughed. "Well, it's OK, I guess. But in a way it's kind of a bummer. I could have gotten stronger and tougher and stuff just by training and using my Aura. Having a semblance doing that for me is kind of like cheating, but it also means I can't do anything cool, like move at super speed, or make clones, or catch on fire and get super strength."

Ruby's enthusiasm dimmed a bit. "Well, I bet if you keep training and working hard, with your semblance, you'll be stronger and tougher than anybody!"

Jack shrugged. "Not as strong as someone with a strength semblance, or as tough as someone with a toughness semblance, and being able to heal faster because of my semblance barely counts. Anyone with a strong aura heals fast. And Dr. Kitsune is worried that my semblance may not know when to stop me growing. I'm OK for now, because I'm still pretty short, but in a year I could start having problems with my joints, and maybe even my heart if my semblance doesn't slow down."

Ruby's enthusiasm disappeared entirely. "Oh no! Can't they fix it?"

Jack sighed. "Dr. Kitsune says there's a surgical procedure that will stop my growth, but it could also make my semblance less effective, so she wants to wait to see if I stop growing on my own first. But don't worry, Ruby, I'll be fine. The worst thing that'll happen is that I'll get really tall and strong and then my semblance will stop working. That's not all that bad. I kind of wish I'd gotten a better semblance though."

Ruby grinned slightly. "I think JUST being really big and strong is a pretty cool semblance."

Jack grimaced. "Yeah, well, people get big and strong without a semblance all the time. Seems kind of a waste to me."

Ruby patted his shoulder. "I'm sure that you'll be a great huntsman, Jack. You're already really good. Can you imagine how good you'll be when you're Cardin's size?"

Jack grinned at that. "Yeah, well, that won't suck, that's for sure." He shrugged. "So, want to get back to training?"

Ruby sighed. "Sure. How was I supposed to do that kick again?"

Jack started to take her through the steps of the kick, and Ruby did her best to pay attention. Jack wasn't a bad instructor at all. He was almost as good as Pyrrha at explaining how to do things. Even if he wasn't quite as experienced and confident as Ruby's partner, he was more than good enough to help Ruby improve, and it was true that it was easier learning some things from an instructor that was more her size.

By the time they were calling it quits for the night, Ruby was exhausted, and she couldn't help that notice that Jack didn't seem the slightest bit winded at any point, even though he'd demonstrated every move dozens of times for her, and had easily worked just as hard as she did. Did his semblance keep him from getting tired as well? That didn't suck at all... it'd be awesome to never get tired. But then Ruby remembered the part where Jack might lose his semblance for good so that he didn't get too tall, and wondered how it might feel to have endless energy and then suddenly lose it. That would be awful. She suddenly wasn't at all envious of the boy's new-found ability.

Their two teams were packing up to head back to their respective dorms, and Ruby and Jack were far enough away from the others for a small amount of privacy. Ruby noticed that only because Jack, after glancing around nervously, had come up close into her personal space.

"Hey... Ruby..." Jack started, starting to blush almost as soon as he lowered his voice, trying to speak to her without being overheard. "Um... I was wondering, this weekend, there's a Spruce Willis movie. Would you like to come with me?"

Ruby brightened at that. She liked Spruce Willis, then she suddenly realized what was happening. "Jack... are you asking me out on a date?" Jack gulped, his face going even more red, but nodded. Ruby swallowed, not sure what to say. "Wow... Jack. I'm... that's..." she tried to remember what Velvet had said to her. "I'm really flattered." she said, trying to give the boy an honest smile. "Really. But... I like girls."

Jack blinked. "Oh." He put a hand behind his head sheepishly. "Wow, I'm sorry, I..."

Ruby smiled. "It's fine. It was nice being asked."

Jack sighed. "Well, thanks for being nice about it." He smiled weakly at her. "Still friends, I hope?"

Ruby beamed. "Of course we are!" She impulsively gave him a hug, which he responded to after a few seconds by wrapping his own arms around her waist and giving her a gentle squeeze. She put her hands on his shoulders and pushed away, and Jack let her go. "You're a nice guy, Jack. I'm sure there's a girl out there who will fall for you in a heartbeat."

Jack nodded, not looking very convinced, but smiling weakly anyway. "Sure, Ruby. I'll... I'll see you tomorrow." He started to walk backwards, then turned and jogged off. Weiss, Ren and Nora were waiting for him at the exit to the arena, and the four of them went out together, Nora throwing an arm around his shoulder in a friendly way as they left as a group.

Yang, Blake, and Pyrrha walked up to Ruby hesitantly. "So... shot him down, huh?" Yang asked quietly.

Ruby sighed. "Yeah. I don't think it's any easier getting shot down then it is doing the shooting..." she blinked. "Although saying that out loud makes it sound like we're attacking each other with guns."

Yang chuckled. "Probably would be less painful that way."

Blake was looking surprised. "I didn't know you were into girls, Ruby?"

Pyrrha's eyes went wide as she looked in surprise at the cat faunus.

Ruby blushed. "Um... you heard that, huh?"

Blake pointed wordlessly at her cat ears, then shrugged. "I can't help being able to hear quite a bit better than most people. Comes with being a faunus."

Ruby chuckled softly. "Well, super hearing and being able to see in the dark have to be pretty cool."

Blake shrugged. "I guess? It's just normal to me."

Ruby grunted, then pointed at her. "Blake, take it from me. It's cool. Trust me."

Yang nodded easily. "That is pretty awesome. It's like having a second semblance."

Pyrrha was trying to control her expression. "When did you realize that you liked girls, Ruby?" She blushed. "If you don't mind me asking."

Ruby blushed right back. "Um... a little while ago. I didn't really know for sure till last week."

Pyrrha swallowed hard. "And... and what caused you to realize your... preference?"

Ruby shrugged. "Yang asked me some questions, and I thought about it really hard. I just... I realized I never really felt weird or... warm, or nervous around guys. Not the way I sometimes get around... er... some girls."

Pyrrha swallowed slowly. "Ah." Her ears started turning pink.

Just behind her, Yang was grinning wickedly. "You know, Pyrrha, you never answered my question the other night. You know, about whether you like girls or guys better?"

Pyrrha swallowed. "Didn't I?"

Yang grinned evily. "Nope. Are you having trouble figuring it out?"

Pyrrha went still, almost seeming to stop breathing. "I..."

Ruby rounded on her older sister. "Yang, stop bothering Pyrrha. Can't you see you're making her upset?"

Pyrrha raised a hand placatingly to Ruby. "No, it's fine, Ruby." She turned towards Yang. "To be honest, Yang, I've been asking myself that same question for awhile now. I had thought I knew, but I am not quite so certain anymore."

Yang started to speak, then hesitated. "Hey, Pyrrha. I'm sorry if..."

Pyrrha put out a hand to stop her. "It's fine Yang. Really. I may get rather... flustered sometimes when you tease me, but you haven't offended me. In fact, I am very happy that you treat me as you would any of your friends."

Yang ducked her head. "I guess... but I guess I've kind of got a thing for teasing you and Rubes in particular."

Blake chuckled. "Because they have the best reactions, right?"

Yang laughed. "OK, yeah. That."

Pyrrha couldn't help but giggle. "Well, I'm very glad you find my embarrassment so entertaining."

Yang laughed harder. "You're not wrong!"

Pyrrha sighed and smiled. "Well now, shall we call it a night?" She started to turn for the door.

Yang blinked. "Hey! You're doing it again!"

Pyrrha blinked. "What?"

Yang snorted. "Changing the subject. Don't think I didn't notice."

Pyrrha smiled innocently. "I have no idea of what you're talking about."

Yang rolled her eyes. "Yeah yeah, pull the other one, it's got bells on. You still haven't answered the question." Pyrrha visibly hesitated, and Yang sighed. "Hey, you don't have to answer if you don't want to, but... well, we're your teammates. You can tell us."

Pyrrha sighed. "Very well. I suppose I can explain." She took a deep breath. "I had always thought I liked men. In theory, at least, the idea that I'd marry a strong man and raise a family had always been in the background of my mind. It was the expected thing, and, in theory, I didn't really have a problem with the idea. The reality, however..."

Yang raised an eyebrow. "Never found a guy that stood up to the fantasy?"

Pyrrha gave a helpless shrug. "Not as yet, anyway. As I've said, I've never been approached by anyone... romantically. My prowess on the arena floor seems to have intimidated any potential suitors, and I myself have been too shy to approach anyone I may have been interested in."

Yang nodded. "Yeah, I get that. But why does that make you not sure that you like guys? Maybe you just haven't met the right guy yet?"

Pyrrha hesitated, then glanced at Ruby for an instant before turning back to Yang. "Perhaps. And perhaps when I do find... the right guy, I will find myself attracted to him. But aside from some crushes I had when I was younger for various heroic individuals in movies, I have never really felt... physically attracted to anyone. Not in a romantic sense. At least, not until recently."

Yang looked surprised. "Never?"

Pyrrha shrugged. "I honestly didn't realize that I hadn't felt that way until after I did feel that way."

Yang raised an eyebrow. "Can I ask when you... um... realized you did feel attracted to someone?"

Pyrrha looked pained, glancing at Blake, then at Ruby, before turning resolutely back to Yang. "Perhaps it's best that I do." She finally said. After a moment, she turned to face Blake, stiffening her shoulders. "I'm sorry."

Blake sighed and closed her eyes. "It's OK. Tell her."

Pyrrha turned to Ruby, who put both hands to her mouth as she realized what was about to happen.

"Ruby..." Pyrrha said softly. "I am quite attracted to you. I don't mean to ask for anything. I just... I wanted you to know that I do have feelings for you."

Ruby swallowed. "Oh."

Blake was holding herself still, taking long quiet breaths. Her shoulders sagged, then straightened, and her eyes opened. "You know what? To hell with it." She turned to Ruby. "Me too." She shrugged helplessly at Pyrrha. "Sorry... but I like Ruby too."

Pyrrha sighed and chuckled wryly. "I know, Blake. I do apologize for..."

Blake put up a hand. "No, you had to tell her. I get it. I don't blame you for it."

Ruby took a short step backwards, than another, then she sprinted from the room, disappearing in a blur of rose petals.

"And there she goes." Yang said with a sigh. "Well, that could have gone better." Pyrrha and Blake both winced, turning to the blond brawler, but Yang looked more resigned than upset. "Eh, I've known how you two felt for awhile now. It was bound to come out sooner or later." She forced a smile. "Better this way. Now it's all out in the open."

Pyrrha and Blake looked at each other warily, and then Pyrrha smiled. "We don't want to hurt Ruby by fighting between ourselves, do we?"

Blake sighed and shook her head. "No. I think it'd just about kill Ruby if the two of us weren't friends." She smiled weakly. "And we are friends."

Pyrrha nodded firmly. "We are. Absolutely."

Blake shrugged helplessly. "Then I guess we let Ruby figure this out."

Yang snorted. "Yeah, that's going to go well."

Pyrrha turned to Yang. "I think you underestimate your younger sister, Yang. Ruby is remarkably good with people."

Yang looked thoughtful. "Yeah, maybe. She's really started growing up. I was really amazed at how well she's been doing here at Beacon. She used to be terrible at making friends, you know?"

Pyrrha shook her head. "It's hard to imagine. She's got such an... energy to her. She seems to draw people to her. I think we all became friends because of her. Including with team Winter. I doubt I'd have had half as many people I could call friends without her pulling me into her circle."

Yang looked thoughtful. "Yeah, it's kind of weird, actually. I used to be the one with all the friends, and Ruby kind of just hung on to me. But now, she's the one at the center of attention." She smiled broadly. "I'm so proud of her." She sighed. "Now I'd better go find her. She's probably hiding someplace where she thinks you two won't find her."

Pyrrha winced. "I'm sorry, Yang, I'm the one who caused Ruby to run off like that."

Yang chuckled. "Don't worry about it. She's overwhelmed, but she'll be alright. She's kind of been worried about you two getting into a fight over her for awhile now."

Pyrrha blinked. "You mean... she knew how we felt about her?"

Yang shrugged. "I may have brought it up, and Ruby's not dumb, she could tell something was up for awhile. She's been panicking about the team breaking up over it ever since."

"That's NOT going to happen." Blake said firmly, exchanging a glance with Pyrrha, who quickly nodded. "Tell Ruby that Pyrrha and I aren't going to get into a fight, and we're going to remain friends."

Pyrrha nodded. "Please. I don't want her to worry about that. I value this team, and the friendships I have with all of you far more than anything else in my life. I won't risk losing that."

Blake grinned slightly. "Well, you kind of did just a couple minutes ago."

Pyrrha ducked her head, looking mortified. "Oh... yes, well... can I say that I believed our friendship was strong enough to take the chance, Blake?"

Blake chuckled. "Yeah. We'll go with that."

Yang looked from one of her teammates to the other. "Am I going to need to set some ground rules for you two?" Blake and Pyrrha both looked at the blond older sister in consternation.

"If... if you feel that's necessary." Pyrrha agreed slowly.

Yang pretended to glare, then her gaze softened immediately. "I'm just giving you a hard time. Just be careful. You both know that if you hurt my baby sister, I'm going to mess you up. But I trust you two. Mostly."

Pyrrha raised an eyebrow at the threat, but decided to let the statement go. "Understood."

Blake grinned. "Got it. We'll be careful." She glanced at Pyrrha. "Maybe we SHOULD set a few ground rules between the two of us though, just to be safe."

Pyrrha hesitated. "I thought we were going to wait for Ruby?"

Yang rolled her eyes. "Rubes isn't going to make a move unless she's sure nobody is going to get hurt. Which means she isn't going to make a move. I think you two will have to convince her to come out of her shell."

Blake looked at Yang suspiciously. "What exactly are you suggesting?"

Yang shrugged. "Ask her out? Spend some time with her? Go on some dates? So long as you two are willing to be civil about it, you might as well try and see if you're actually compatible."

Pyrrha blinked. "Both of us?"

Yang nodded. "You two can figure out who gets to go first. Take turns, maybe."

"That sounds..." Pyrrha started.

"Really awkward." Blake concluded.

Yang shrugged. "Well, you two just had to confess to Ruby at the same time, and you want to be civilized about it, right?" Pyrrha and Blake both sighed, then looked at each other, then nodded.

"I suppose that is the most logical way." Pyrrha agreed.

"Assuming Ruby agrees to it, anyway." Blake mentioned.

"Naturally." Pyrrha agreed. "And whatever Ruby decides..."

"No hard feelings then, whoever wins?" Blake said, looking like she'd swallowed something sour.

Pyrrha sighed. "That is a bit optimistic, perhaps. But I do promise I'll do my best to not hurt Ruby's feelings, and I truly do wish to maintain our friendship, Blake."

Blake nodded. "Same here. I like you, Pyrrha. I'd hate to lose that."

Yang nodded. "OK then, now that that's settled, I'll go track Ruby down. You two... try to relax. And... I'll let you know if Ruby's ready to talk. And if she's up for... anything." Yang headed out of the room, leaving Blake and Pyrrha alone.

"So... how do we decide who gets to go out with Ruby first?" Blake asked Pyrrha.

"Well, assuming Ruby doesn't show a clear preference..." Pyrrha began.

"Assuming that, yes." Blake agreed.

"In that case, why don't you go first?" Pyrrha offered. "I did... um... confess first."

Blake hesitated, then nodded. "OK." She sighed. "This is really weird. And awkward."

Pyrrha laughed. "It very much is."

/-/

Yang searched for twenty minutes before she finally resorted to the tracking app their father had installed on both of their scrolls, and soon found Ruby sitting on the edge of the cliff overlooking the Emerald Forest, near where their initiation test had begun.

"Hey sis." Yang said as she sat down next to the smaller girl. "Doing alright?"

"I guess." Ruby said with a sigh. "I mean, we knew this was going to happen, right?"

"It did kind of seem inevitable." Yang agreed. "But wow, look at you. Two girls after you at once, and we've only been at school for a month!"

Ruby groaned. "How did it come to this?"

Yang chuckled. "Well, personally, I'd blame Dad. Must run in the family."

Ruby winced. "Gah. Bad thoughts..."

Yang laughed. "Man, Dad is going to freak when he hears about today!"

Ruby stiffened. "Yang! Don't you dare!"

Yang chuckled. "I'm just teasing. Mostly. You do know you'll have to tell him you're dating eventually."

Ruby rolled her eyes. "Yeah, maybe in four years when I get out of Beacon."

Yang looked sideways at her. "What, you're not planning on inviting your girlfriends over for summer break?"

Ruby looked horrified, then blinked. "Wait, when did Blake and Pyrrha become my girlfriends? I never agreed to that."

Yang kept looking at her. "So, you're saying you're not interested in either of them?"

Ruby chewed on her lip. "No... I'm not saying THAT. I mean, I like them. They're both cute, and smart, and strong..."

Yang nodded. "True." She looked curious. "Got a preference?"

Ruby winced. "I don't know. And besides, if I pick one of them, then the other one will get mad..."

Yang shook her head. "I have it on good authority that Blake and Pyrrha don't want to hurt the team, and they want to stay friends, no matter how this goes, so you don't have to worry about that."

Ruby looked dubious. "And you think it's that easy?"

Yang sighed. "No, not really. But they'll do their best, and things will work out in the end. If you like one of them more than the other, it'd make it easier in the long run."

Ruby sighed. "I've been trying not to think about it. I guess I should start trying to figure this out, huh?"

Yang shrugged. "Well, if you're having trouble, why don't you just go on some dates with them?"

Ruby blinked. "Do you think that's a good idea?"

Yang nodded firmly. "Yeah. They're both on board with the idea, and it'll help you figure out which one you like best. That's what dating is for, after all. You go out with people to figure out if you're compatible, and what you like about each other."

Ruby looked thoughtful. "Yeah. OK. I guess that's a plan."

Yang chuckled, putting an arm around her sister's shoulder. "I can't believe my baby sister has more girlfriends than I do."

Ruby raised an eyebrow. "You've never had any girlfriends."

Yang shrugged. "See? More."

After a few minutes, they headed back to their dorm room, finding Blake and Pyrrha already there, both of them apparently trying to work on homework.

As soon as the door was open, however, both Blake and Pyrrha turned to look at Ruby, causing the younger girl to blush. "Er... hi?"

Pyrrha rose to her feet. "I'm so sorry for causing you so much distress, Ruby. I should have been more thoughtful about how to approach you."

Blake shrugged. "Yeah, we kind of ambushed you all at once there. Sorry about that."

Ruby blew out a breath, then smiled. "No... it's OK! I'm OK. I was a bit shocked by how fast it happened, but... it's fine."

Pyrrha and Blake both nodded, then stood there, looking hesitant.

Yang gestured toward the two nervous looking girls with her head. "I think they're waiting for a response, Rubes. They both just confessed how they feel to you, so they're waiting to hear what you think."

Ruby blinked, then blushed. "Oh! Right..." She trailed off. "I er... I like you both?" She winced. "I mean... I think you're both really cute, and you're my friends, and I'd be happy to try dating either of you?" She scratched behind her head nervously. "I just... I haven't given it a lot of thought yet, and I'd kind of like to get to know you better?"

Pyrrha and Blake both glanced at each other, exchanging a nod.

Ruby took a deep breath and went on. "So... I think we should go on a date." She stepped up to the two girls, holding out her hands. "Pyrrha, Blake, would you like to go on a date with me?"

Pyrrha blinked. "Um... you want to go on a date with both of us?"

Blake raised an eyebrow. "At the same time?"

Yang whistled. "Wow, that's pretty ballsy, sis."

Ruby turned to her sister. "But... I thought that's what you said I should do?"

Yang opened her mouth to answer, but Pyrrha interrupted. "I think that would be lovely." She answered, then glanced at Blake. "If that's alright with you, Blake?"

Blake looked thoughtful, then shrugged. "Sure. Sounds fine to me."

Yang's eyes went wide, then she slapped Ruby on the back. "OK, forget about taking after dad. You've got him beat. I don't think even he ever managed to date two girls at exactly the same time."

Ruby turned bright red. "Did I do it wrong?" She said, looking worried. Pyrrha and Blake glanced to each other again, then they both moved up, each taking one of her hands.

"No, I think it's an excellent idea, Ruby. I'm sure it'll be just fine." Pyrrha said with a warm smile.

Blake nodded. "It will be fine." She glanced at Pyrrha. "Pyrrha and I have an agreement. Whatever this becomes, we'll protect our friendship, and the team."

Pyrrha nodded firmly, meeting Blake's eyes for a moment before turning back to Ruby. "So... what shall we do for our date?"

Ruby shrugged. "Well, what about dinner and a movie in Vale this weekend? Everybody likes food... and movies, right?" Pyrrha and Blake both nodded, then glanced at each other.

Pyrrha spoke up. "So... should we dress up, or...?"

Ruby shook her head quickly. "No, no. Let's just make it casual. We can go on a fancy dress-up date later." She blushed. "Um... assuming our first date goes well and we decide to go on a second one?"

Blake chuckled lightly. "Sounds like a plan to me."

Yang whistled. "You're actually going to go through with this. Wow."

Blake glared at the blond brawler, and Ruby winced.

Pyrrha looked embarrassed. "Do you think it is terribly inappropriate?"

Yang blinked. "Well, it doesn't bother ME at all... I mean, I have to root for my little sis, right? But I guess it might seem a little weird from the outside?"

Ruby grimaced. "Is it a really bad idea?"

Yang hesitated. "I don't think so. I mean, sure, there is absolutely the chance for epic failure here, but at the same time, I think it's a good way for you all to get to know each other better, and figure out if you're really interested in a long term relationship. That's what dating is for. And going as a triad? Well, it's fair that way, right? Nobody gets an unfair advantage."

Blake nodded slowly. "It does seem fair., and it's a first date. We won't be doing anything crazy on our first date anyway, so it's no big deal for us all to go out together."

Yang grinned. "That's the spirit."

Pyrrha hesitated. "Perhaps... perhaps we should not advertise what it is we are doing, exactly, to anyone else yet? We would not want anyone to get the wrong idea."

Yang chuckled. "Or the right idea."

Pyrrha winced. "Quite. But if things do not go well, it will be less... uncomfortable it is not something the entire student body is gossiping about before hand."

Ruby looked positively ill at the thought. "OK, yeah. I can agree to that."

Blake nodded agreeably. "You won't find me complaining about wanting a bit of secrecy."

Ruby glared in her big sister's direction. "Which means NOBODY talks about it, right Yang?"

Yang nodded easily and made a zipping sound as she drew a finger across her lips. "My lips are sealed, sis. I'll even hold off on the teasing in public. Well, about you dating two girls, anyway. It's not like I don't have plenty of other things to tease you about."

Ruby nodded. "OK then, it's a secret for now. Is everyone agreed?"

They were.

/-/

The next morning, Ruby, as was often the case, was the last one to rise. Yawning, she stretched, threw back the covers, and hopped down from her bed, causing the loose tank top she often wore to bed to rise up to reveal her taut little stomach.

Blake, who had been sitting on her own bed, reading, watched Ruby's every movement with fascination, her eyes straying automatically to the exposed skin. Pyrrha, who had been working on some homework on the desk in the middle of the room, looked at Blake, causing the cat faunus to blush and look away from Ruby.

Ruby, not noticing the subtle interaction, sleepily went into the bathroom.

"Sorry..." Blake muttered.

Pyrrha shook her head quickly. "No, no. I apologize. There is nothing wrong with you looking at Ruby."

Blake hesitated. "You sure?"

Pyrrha nodded quickly. "So long as it doesn't bother her... I will not let it bother me."

Blake tilted her head sideways slightly. "Actually, I've been meaning to ask you about that. Or rather, what you'd consider acceptable behavior..." She gestured to herself, then to Pyrrha, and back again. "In regards to our behavior towards Ruby, I mean."

Pyrrha blushed. "I'm not quite sure what you're getting at?"

Blake hesitated. "Well... about things like looking... or displaying affection."

Pyrrha swallowed. "Oh. I... I suppose I hadn't thought about it?"

Blake shrugged. "Well, are hugs alright?"

Pyrrha blinked. "You mean her hugging us? Or us hugging her?"

Blake nodded. "Yes."

Pyrrha considered that. "I think hugs are fine." She smiled slightly. "In fact, depriving anyone of Ruby's hugs should probably be classed as a crime of some sort."

Blake chuckled. "True. Ruby does like to hug people."

Pyrrha nodded. "It would be wrong to deny her that. And I certainly won't complain if you wish to... um... initiate one yourself."

Blake smiled and shrugged. "Fair enough. Same here."

Pyrrha hesitated. "Was that all?"

Blake thought about it. "Kisses?"

Pyrrha blushed red. "Have you...?"

Blake shook her head quickly. "With Ruby? No. I just wanted to know if... if it would bother you if I...?"

Pyrrha blinked. "If... well, if Ruby is not bothered, then I will try not to let it bother me. But... could I ask you to take things slowly, and... perhaps, let me... er... give me the chance to... keep things even? In that arena, that is?"

Blake raised an eyebrow. "You mean if I kiss Ruby, you want a chance to do so too?"

Pyrrha blushed brighter. "Er... yes?"

Ruby coughed from where she was standing in the open bathroom door, causing both Blake and Pyrrha to blush furiously. "OK... is this super awkward, or is it just me?"

From atop her bunk, Yang started to laugh, reminding all three girls that they had an audience, causing all three girls to blush deeper.

Ruby finally broke the silence. "How... how about we take it slow?" she suggested, still blushing wildly. "Maybe see how the date goes first?"

Pyrrha and Blake both nodded silently, both girls trying not to spontaneously combust.

Ruby took a deep breath, then smiled shyly. "Maybe I'll give you both a kiss if our date goes well, OK?" Having already dressed in the bathroom, Ruby exited the room hastily after that.

Once she was gone, Yang leaned over the edge of her bunk. "Maybe let Ruby take the lead on how far to go? I mean, I trust you two and everything, but she IS two years younger than either of you. I don't want you pushing her to do anything she's not ready for."

Pyrrha turned an even darker shade of red. "I wouldn't think of... I... Of course Yang, I don't mean to imply that... Oh my goodness..."

Blake coughed, seeming quite a bit less embarrassed. "No problem, Yang. You're right. Ruby's still really young. It's easy to forget that sometimes, with how mature she acts sometimes."

Yang hummed at that. "Yeah, Rubes is really growing up quick. She's been surprising me constantly since we got to Beacon. Heck, since before that. What she managed with Roman Torchwick's gang was incredible. But when it comes to romance and stuff, she's brand new. So... take it slow, OK?"

Pyrrha, having managed to calm herself down somewhat, nodded quickly. "Of course. I have no intentions otherwise. To be truthful, I have never had a romantic relationship either. This will all be new to me as well."

Blake glanced at the Mistralian champion, looking surprised, then blinked. "Right, you said that last night. I still can't believe it. I mean..." She gestured to Pyrrha. "Look at you!"

Pyrrha blushed. "Thank you, I think?"

Blake shook her head. "Sorry... but seriously, you are gorgeous. Tall, leggy, athletic... and famous. It amazes me that you haven't had a bunch of boys... and maybe some girls, go after you before this."

Pyrrha shrugged. "Many people do make that assumption. Perhaps that is why they never ask. They assume I must already have someone else. Someone better than they are, perhaps? People act as if I am not only the 'Invincible Girl', but as an untouchable girl as well."

Blake wrinkled her nose. "I'm sorry." She hesitated. "Pyrrha, maybe it would be better for me to step back? Ruby doesn't think of you as some untouchable idol on a pedestal. I think you and she would be happy together."

Pyrrha smiled. "I hope you're right. I certainly haven't met anyone like her before." She shook her head. "But no. We agreed to date Ruby together, at least the once. I would not see you hold yourself back on my account."

Blake sighed. "It just doesn't seem quite fair. I mean... yes, I really like Ruby. But it's not as if I've never been in a relationship before. I've had that experience. You and Ruby... well, maybe it seems silly, but perhaps you're better suited for her? You're both starting out new to this, and that's a pretty special time, you know? I feel like I might... tarnish that for you."

Pyrrha blinked. "How so?"

Blake hesitated, glancing at Yang with a grimace. "Well, I'm not exactly, inexperienced. It almost kind of feels like I'd be taking advantage."

Pyrrha blushed, but looked curious. "Your boyfriend? The one you ran away from?"

Blake nodded, blushing. "Yes, we were... intimate. Right up till the end. It wasn't for very long, but... it was intense while it lasted."

Pyrrha wrinkled her nose. "I... I don't think that should invalidate your feelings, Blake."

Blake shook her head, then chuckled lightly. "Well, that's about as much self sacrifice as I can manage. You had your shot to get Ruby to yourself, and you didn't take it, so don't blame me if I win her heart before you do." She smiled to make it clear she was joking, but Pyrrha could tell there was more than a little truth in her words.

Pyrrha tried to smile back, but it was obvious it was forced. "I... am sure Ruby will chose wisely."

Blake sighed. "Sorry... I shouldn't make this sound like a contest. This is so we can all figure out if either of us are compatible with Ruby or not. I don't want to compete for her like she's some sort of prize to be won."

Pyrrha smile was more genuine. "I agree, although she is a fine prize, is she not?"

Blake nodded. "Oh yeah."

Yang groaned. "Oi! Big sister still in the room, remember?"

/-/

Later that day, in history class, Blake and Pyrrha sat down on either side of Ruby. It wasn't their usual seating arrangement, but while Ruby turned slightly pink in the cheeks at their proximity, no one else seemed to take note of it.

As they left for their next class, however, Blake put a hand on Pyrrha's shoulder and whispered in her ear. "What about holding her hand between classes?" Blake asked curiously.

Pyrrha blinked, then whispered back. "Let's take turns? You may go first, if you like."

Blake beamed and gave Pyrrha a little bow before running off to catch up to Ruby.

Ruby squeaked in surprise as Blake took hold of her hand, stopping in the hall. She glanced back at Pyrrha, who smiled at them, then turned to Blake with a questioning look.

Blake didn't speak, but her own expression was that of asking permission.

Ruby grinned and started down the hall again, pulling Blake gently after her.

Pyrrha followed several paces behind. Her eyes were drawn to the two girls clasped hands, and she sighed softly, but forced a calm smile. She was, after all, quite practiced at keeping a polite expression in public, even when she didn't, necessarily, feel all that happy at the moment. She tried to figure out if watching Blake and Ruby walk to class, hand in hand, bothered her, and if so, why.

It didn't really bother her, she decided, finally. It was just holding hands. It would be her turn next, anyway.

When Pyrrha moved to Ruby's side after Professor Peach's lecture and held out her hand for Ruby to take, Ruby looked mildly surprised, then she smiled and took the taller girl's hand in her own, then let Pyrrha lead her towards the lunch hall.

When they got to their usual table, and Blake had settled onto the bench on her other side, Ruby glanced between them. "Are you two taking turns holding my hand?" She asked at a near whisper, grinning ear to ear.

Pyrrha nodded to that, and Blake shrugged. "It seemed like a good idea at the time." The cat faunus agreed.

Ruby chuckled. "Well, you can both hold my hands at the same time if you like, you know? I do have two hands."

Blake raised an eyebrow. "Wouldn't that be a little odd? The three of us walking hand in hand down the hallways together?"

Ruby wrinkled her nose in thought. "Maybe? I guess it might be a little strange."

Pyrrha nodded slowly. "Perhaps, at least until we've decided to let people know what we're doing, we should continue to take turns."

Ruby raised an eyebrow. "Won't someone figure out what's going on if you two keep trading off like that?"

"Figure out what?" Nora asked in a overly loud whisper as she sat down at the table opposite them with a full tray of food.

Ruby and Pyrrha both blushed, although Blake managed to hold her composure. "It's a secret." She told Nora calmly.

Nora's eyes went wide. "What's a secret?" She whispered loudly again.

Blake just grinned enigmatically at her. "If we told you, it wouldn't be a secret."

Nora nodded at that. "That's true!"

Ren sat down beside her, and she went back into a conversation they'd apparently been having earlier, and in moments, Yang, Jack, and Weiss had also sat down at their table, all of them carrying trays of food.

"Aren't you three planning on eating?" Yang asked, grinning, nodding to the empty spaces in front of Ruby, Blake and Pyrrha.

With sightly embarrassed looks, the three girls got up quickly and headed off to get food.

/-/

Things continued in much the same fashion until that Saturday morning, and it was time for the three of them to head out into Vale for their date.

Each of them wore something casual. Ruby wore a comfortable looking grey top and red skirt over black tights, over which she wore her usual hooded cape, black corset, and black combat boots. Blake wore a simple white jacket and low cut black jeans that showed off her toned stomach, a pair of tall boots with buckles and three inch heels, and ribbons wrapped around each wrist. Pyrrha wore a comfortable looking fluffy red sweater over blue jeans and comfortable looking fur trimmed boots. For once she didn't wear her signature headwear, and instead her hair was loose, coming down her shoulders and over her back in a wave, so that it fell down past her waist.

Yang had complimented each of them on their look before they'd headed out, but before they reached the airship dock going to Vale, Blake had taken the time to wrap her cat ears back up in her bow, concealing them from view.

"Aww..." Ruby pouted. "I like your ears."

Blake smiled softly at the smaller girl. "And I appreciate that, I do... but we're going to some public venues, and I don't want anything to mar our night."

Ruby frowned. "If anyone has a problem with you being a faunus..."

Blake put a hand on her shoulder. "You'd protect my honor, I'm sure. And while I truly do appreciate that you feel that way, we're going out to have fun, not to get into fights. It's just for the night. I've worn this bow for much longer than that in the past."

Pyrrha put a hand on Ruby's shoulder, then smiled at Blake. "It's very thoughtful of you Blake. And while I find I agree with Ruby, in that I find your feline ears most... comely, and in that I would be more than happy to stand up to defend your honor, I'm sure you're right. Perhaps it is best if we spend the evening enjoying each other's company and not worrying about battling prejudice. At least for tonight."

Ruby pouted some more, then relented. "Fine. In Vale, on our date. But I don't like you having to wear it." She poked Blake in the chest. "When you come to visit Patch, you're not wearing your bow."

Blake blinked at that. "Visit Patch?"

Ruby tilted her head to one side. "Oh right. That's where Yang and I live with our dad. It's an island just off the coast. It's really nice there."

Blake blinked again. "And you... want me to come visit?"

Ruby nodded. "Of course! You and Pyrrha! It'll be great. I've been meaning to invite you for the summer break."

Blake smiled slightly. "Well, we don't really know how this date will go..."

Ruby rolled her eyes. "Maybe, but I'm sure of one thing. We'll be friends this coming summer. I'm certain of that. Maybe we won't be girlfriends. That's why we're going on this date, to see if that's something we want. But we'll be friends. Or we'll be girlfriends. Either way, I'm inviting you. OK?"

Blake hesitated, then nodded. "OK. But why aren't I wearing my bow there?"

Ruby took a deep breath. "Because that's home. And as long as you're there, it'll be your home too. So I want you to be able to be yourself. None of our neighbors will care if you're faunus. They'll be pleased that you're a huntress, because we always need hunters on Patch, but they won't care about your kitty ears."

Blake hummed thoughtfully at that. "We'll see." She finally answered.

Pyrrha pointed to herself. "And you want me to come as well?"

Ruby nodded. "Yeah! Even if things don't work out today, I know we'll still be friends, and I want you to come see my home."

Pyrrha smiled. "Well, that sounds lovely. I'd be glad to come."

Ruby grinned. "It's settled then."

They boarded the airship going into Vale then, and settled down for the trip into the city.

The movie had been fun. They'd picked a romantic movie about a girl who became a vampire and hunted grimm to protect a village that shunned her, and the young man who fell in love with her. Blake and Pyrrha sat on either side of Ruby during the movie, holding both of the younger girl's hands. During a particularly scary scene, Ruby squeezed her hand tightly, and Pyrrha smiled softly, turning to look at the smaller girl with a reassuring smile. Anything she might have said died in her throat as she noticed Blake on Ruby's other side, the cat faunus having also turned toward Ruby in the same moment.

She nodded slightly to Blake, and smiled just a little. Blake returned it, and they both turned their focus back onto the movie.

Thankfully, the movie had a happy ending, and the three girls chatted happily about it at the quiet little seafood restaurant Ruby had picked out. They shared a booth with a couch in the shape of a crescent, sitting close on either side of Ruby. Things were going well. Their food arrived, and Blake's eyes went wide at the sight of the large fillet of bluefin tuna steaming on her plate.

Pyrrha noticed the relish with which Blake fell upon her tuna, and tried to suppress a smile, which was made more difficult when she noticed Ruby grinning at the cat faunus as well. "Seems like you picked the right restaurant." She commented quietly to the smaller girl, causing Ruby to giggle lightly.

Blake seemed too enthralled by her fish to notice, and Pyrrha and Ruby shared a conspiratorial smile at Blake's obvious pleasure.

The two started in on their own food, and Pyrrha had to admit that there was nothing at all wrong with the quality. The restaurant wasn't as upscale as Pyrrha was used to, as when she went out to eat in Mistral it was usually in order to be seen, often following a publicity event or tournament win, but whomever worked in the kitchen was obvious excellent.

And then, from another table, Pyrrha heard heated whispers, and her name, and froze, realizing what had happened in an instant.

"Is it really her? At a place like this? Pyrrha Nikos?"

"No way. It can't be."

"Hey, I'm going to go ask her..."

Pyrrha sighed and forced a pleasant smile on her face as the young man approached their table.

Blake had stopped eating at the first sound the whispers, and she looked at Pyrrha with a cross between support and pity.

"Hey..." The young man asked, hesitating slightly. "It's you, right? You're the Invincible Girl?"

Pyrrha smiled at him politely. "Yes, I'm Pyrrha Nikos. Can I help you?"

The man grinned widely. "I thought it was you. Wow! I'm a huge fan..."

As the young man started gushing about her fight career, his two friends crowded up, grinning and snapping photos with their scrolls.

Pyrrha frowned. "I'm sorry, but we're trying to have a quiet dinner. Could I ask you not to take photos please?"

Blake had covered her face with one arm the moment after the first photo was taken, and she grimaced slightly.

Pyrrha stood suddenly, causing the three young men to step back by the weight of her presence alone. "Why don't we step over here a bit, and you can get a nice selfie?" She suggested with a wide smile, putting out her arms to escort the three young men farther away. She took the scroll from the man who'd taken the first picture before the young man could protest, opened his photo app, and selected and deleted the last several photos. Then she brought him in close to one side, angled his scroll so it would capture them both in it, and took a picture of the two of them, giving the camera her best winning smile.

She repeated the process with the other two men as well, then smiled as she gestured back to their table. "I hope you have a nice night, gentlemen. And please, if you could, wait to share till tomorrow? My teammates and I would like to have a quiet night if we could?"

The young fans, charmed, agreed to the request, and Pyrrha came back to their table, looking mildly annoyed but concealing it as best as she could.

Ruby was gaping at the three fight groupies as they went back to their table. "Does that happen wherever you go, Pyrrha?"

Pyrrha sighed. "More than I'd like. I put my hair down and left my headpiece behind tonight because I was hoping no one would recognize me, but I suppose that was too much to hope for."

Blake swallowed. "Did you manage to erase all the earlier pictures?"

Pyrrha nodded. "I take it you would prefer not to be photographed?"

Blake winced. "It seems pretty unlikely, but I don't want Adam to spot a picture of me in a news report somewhere. The longer he takes to figure out where I've gone, the better."

Pyrrha frowned. "He scares you?"

Blake nodded seriously. "Adam is... the most dangerous man I've ever known. I know you and Ruby are strong, but I wouldn't want to see either of you go up against him. Maybe if we faced him as a team, but... I'd still be worried."

Ruby leaned in, lowering her voice. "Tell us about him. How he fights, what his semblance is."

Blake blinked. "Ruby... what?"

Ruby frowned. "If he comes after you, I want to know how to beat him."

Blake swallowed. "Ruby, you don't know what you're asking."

Ruby looked worried. "If you're worried we'll hurt him... I promise I won't..."

Blake shook her head quickly. "No, no. If Adam comes for me, you should run. But if you can't run, don't hold back. He won't."

Ruby took a deep breath. "OK, then tell us about him. It's better if we know what we'd be up against."

Pyrrha looked thoughtful. "I agree, Blake. If you don't mind? You are our teammate, and friend. I would certainly not stand idly by if this man was to come after you. In the unlikely event that we have to face him, knowledge of his tactics and abilities would not go amiss."

Blake licked her lips. "This is not the most romantic of dinner conversations..."

Ruby giggled. "Well, we are huntresses in training. What do you think dinner conversation around the table at home would be like?"

Blake chuckled. "That's assuming quite a bit, Ruby. But even so, that would be... talking about work. Not something for a date night."

Ruby's face fell. "Oh. Right. Sorry. I'm ruining our date, huh?"

Blake smiled. "No. I appreciate you wanting to protect me." She gave Pyrrha a warm smile as well. "Both of you. But perhaps we should save this particular conversation for back at our dorm? We'd be remiss not to include Yang, if we're talking about team business, after all."

Pyrrha nodded. "You're quite right, Blake. Now... how about a change of subject? Ah... Ruby! You mentioned you'd seen the previous two films in this series? What were they like?"

Ruby's eyes went wide. "You haven't seen them yet? Oh my gosh! Wow, we've got to see them! They're so good, and you miss out on all sorts of things without knowing what was going on in the first two movies..."

Ruby rambled on, and Pyrrha basked in the sound of her voice. She and Blake exchanged a knowing smile as they let Ruby babble on.

They got back into Beacon late, having spent several hours wondering through the commercial district of the city, window shopping, chatting, and just enjoying the leisure time together.

When they stumbled, tired but happy, through the door to their dorm, Yang was waiting. "Have fun you three?"

Ruby threw her big sister a thumbs up as the three girls headed toward their own beds, wanting to relax after their long walk in the city.

Yang spotted them heading for their beds, and grinned wickedly. "Lots of fun, I'd guess." She waited for a long moment before continuing. "So... if you guys need me to leave the room so that the fun can continue..."

Ruby hit her with a pillow.

* * *

**Author's note! Yeah, we're going off the deep end into fluffy romance territory. But don't worry, we're a month into Beacon, and things start getting dangerous again around the end of the semester... and we certainly aren't going to skip any of that. Still, that leaves us a few months of school life where nothing really major occurs. Plenty of time to set some ships to sailing... and maybe sink some more. Our adventure is far from over.**

**So expect the White Fang, Torchwick, Cinder and company, and maybe even Adam will pay us a visit? Ruby hasn't saved everyone yet!**


	7. Chapter 7

Tossing Ruby's pillow back at her, Yang chuckled and took the hint. "Fine, fine. I'm just kidding." She raised an eyebrow. "Seriously though, how did it go?"

Ruby grinned and threw her a thumb's up. "It was great! We had a lot of fun."

Pyrrha smiled. "It was quite pleasant, yes."

Blake shrugged. "No complaints here."

Yang waited for a few moments. "And...?"

Ruby blinked. "And what?"

Yang raised an eyebrow. "Did you figure out which girl you like the best?"

Ruby opened her mouth, then closed it. "It was just one date... I haven't had enough time to decide anything."

Pyrrha smiled. "It's fine. I'm in no rush."

Blake nodded easily. "Yeah, don't worry about it, Ruby."

Ruby gestured to her two girlfriends and looked at Yang. "See? It's fine!"

Yang rolled her eyes. "Sure, sure. So what next?"

Ruby shrugged. "More dates, I guess? We're not in a race, Yang."

She faced the room, looking from Blake to Pyrrha. "So, what do you two want to do?"

Pyrrha licked her lips. "Perhaps we should have some individual dates next?"

Blake quickly nodded. "Yes, I agree."

Ruby blew out a breath. "OK, sure. How should we decide who goes out with who first?"

Pyrrha glanced to Blake, then smiled. "Well, since I confessed to you first, I thought perhaps Blake should get the first individual date?" Blake smiled gratefully, then looked hopefully at Ruby.

Ruby nodded slowly. "OK. Cool. Next weekend?"

Blake smiled back. "Next Saturday. I'll plan it, OK?"

Ruby beamed at her. "Neat. I'm looking forward to it!"

Pyrrha looked a bit hesitant. "And the Saturday after that, I can take you out, Ruby?"

Ruby nodded quickly. "Of course!"

Yang broke in. "And the Saturday after that, Blake and Pyrrha should go out!" The other three girls in the room all turned to Yang with wide eyed stares.

"Er... what?" Blake asked incredulously.

Yang grinned, then shrugged. "Hey, you're all dating to figure out how compatible you all are, right? What's wrong with finding out how compatible you and Pyrrha are, Blake?"

Blake blinked twice. "Er..."

Pyrrha looked thoughtful. "It's fine with me. I would like to get to know Blake better one on one."

Blake looked at Pyrrha curiously. "Oh?"

Pyrrha blushed lightly. "As friends. It certainly won't hurt us to become closer as friends, especially if we want to keep our team strong and united."

Blake chuckled. "Sure. That actually sounds like a good idea."

Yang put her hands behind her head and grinned. "All of my ideas are good ones."

Ruby pointed at Yang. "You should go out with Pyrrha next week while I'm going out with Blake! And go out with Blake the week after that while I'm going out with Pyrrha!"

Yang blinked at that. "Um... why am I getting roped into this?"

Ruby smiled innocently at her. "Well, won't it be good to be able to get to know Blake and Pyrrha better?"

Yang looked thoughtful at that. "OK sure. When you put it that way, I'm in." She glanced at the other two girls in the room. "How about you two?"

Pyrrha smiled brightly. "Actually, this is starting to sound quite lovely. And Yang and Ruby can have a sisters day while Blake and I are on our date?"

Blake's expression was mixed, but she settled on a wry smile. "Honestly, yeah, putting it that way, I can't see any real problems with the idea. Our team will be stronger, and it'll be fun, getting to know everyone one on one."

Ruby was smiling fit to burst. "This is great! Team RPBY is going to be the best team ever."

Yang chuckled. "Was there ever any doubt?"

/-/

Sunday was quiet, and the girls worked on homework assignments for the next week and relaxed.

School the next week was as peaceful as life at a school focused on learning to fight monsters could be. Ruby got to face off against Russel in Combat Class and dominated him with ease, zipping around him and shooting him from range, or using her semblance to get behind him before he could turn and swipe at him with the blunt side of Crescent Rose. Russel never landed a solid blow on her. Ruby was happy, although she remembered Russel being tougher than this. Or perhaps it was the fact that she knew how just about everyone in the school fought already? She'd had spars against Russel in the previous timeline, and had watched him in matches in both. It was just... easier knowing what your opponent was likely to do, not to mention she'd honed and refined her combat style during the previous timeline in preparation for the Vital Festival. Even though it had been Yang and Weiss to go on into the doubles and singles rounds, Ruby had pushed herself very hard the previous time through. She didn't have the muscle memory from the previous timeline, but the techniques and tricks she had learned had stuck with her, and Russel wasn't anywhere near fast enough to take advantage of the minuscule pauses in her moves that the lack of muscle memory caused.

Ruby resolved to train hard with Crescent Rose in the coming weeks to regain the fighting edge she'd had in the previous timeline. She was already quite a bit stronger than she had been at this point the last time through, but she could do better. She had to do better, if she wanted to defeat Cinder Fall and save Pyrrha.

The biggest trouble in class was still boredom. She had already had difficulty sitting through lectures in the previous timeline, but now that they were constantly covering topics she'd already covered, it was even harder. She made a game of trying to remember what each professor would say ahead of time, and while she rarely remembered enough detail to do so, it kept her entertained enough that she stayed awake. Most of the time.

It also made her seem quite a bit better informed than she had on the first time through. Her grades were significantly better in almost every subject. Time travel did seem to have it's uses!

Ruby sometimes noticed Yang staring at her in astonishment after Ruby answered a question in class. Ruby had never been the best student, and in the previous time line she'd struggled constantly to keep up her academics, so Ruby could understand why her sister would be confused at how well she was doing. She tried not to giggle at the startled expression Yang would adopt whenever Ruby showed a firm grasp of some concept she shouldn't have learned about yet.

Yang finally confronted her about it in the Library after classes that Thursday. "How did you know the answer to that question about dust manipulation in Professor Peach's class today?" Yang asked with a mix of annoyance and curiosity in her voice. "They didn't teach you that in Signal. Dust studies comes in during the last two years there, and you hadn't taken that class yet."

Ruby shrugged with a small smile, enjoying a rare feeling of superiority over her older sister. "I've been reading ahead in our text books."

Yang raised an eyebrow. "Reading ahead? Who are you and what have you done with my baby sister?"

Ruby shrugged again, putting her hands behind her head in a gesture of relaxation. "I'm a team leader now Yang, I have to do my best to be a good leader for you all."

Yang shook her head in amazement. "I just can't believe how quickly you've grown since you've gotten here, Ruby. You were never this dedicated back in Signal. In combat classes, and working on weapons, sure, but you're acing history and theory classes here too." She sighed. "You're getting better grades than me, and you've got a better win/loss record in combat class than me too. I guess you really are a prodigy."

Ruby blushed, starting to feel bad. In the previous timeline, Yang had been ahead of her in everything, Ruby always struggling to keep up. It didn't really seem fair to her older sister, and Ruby wondered if Yang was feeling bad about Ruby doing better than her.

Yang glanced down at the paper Ruby had been working on, then blinked. "Ruby, what is this?" She scooped up the paper and frowned at it. "Doctor Oobleck hasn't assigned us anything about Menagerie, has he?"

Ruby winced. She'd been reading up about Blake's homeland, and remembered that in the previous timeline, Dr. Oobleck had assigned everyone a paper on the various individual nations' customs that she'd found particularly difficult. Of course, he hadn't assigned it yet in this timeline. Ruby was sure it'd be sometime this month, and had figured she'd put her research to good use and get the paper out of the way ahead of time. But how to explain?

Yang was staring at Ruby in confusion, noticing the way Ruby was obviously trying to think up an excuse. She knew her baby sister well enough to recognize that face, but why would Ruby lie about a piece of homework?

Ruby's face relaxed as she decided to go for a partial truth. "Well, he hasn't actually assigned one yet, I just figured he probably will at some point." She gestured to a book she had open on the table. "I've been reading up about Menagerie since I wanted to know more about where Blake came from, and I thought I might as well write some stuff down in case Dr. Oobleck sets an assignment like this later."

Yang blinked in astonishment. "You're... doing homework that you think he MIGHT assign?" She stammered. "Rubes... I don't know whether to be proud or disturbed. That sounds like something Weiss might do. When did you become such a teacher's pet, anyway?"

Ruby groaned. "Yang... I told you! I'm a team leader. If I don't do well, our whole team could suffer!"

Yang put a hand on her little sister's shoulder. "Hey, you're doing great, Ruby. Don't work yourself into an early grave. Relax a little more."

Ruby waved Yang off. "I am relaxing! I've got dates planned for the next two weekends, and I'm getting plenty of sleep. Don't worry, Yang! I've got it covered!"

Yang shook her head again. "When did you grow up? What happened to my baby sister who eats too many cookies and forgets to do her homework?"

Ruby looked away from her sister, embarrassed. "I still eat a lot of cookies."

Yang grinned. "True. I guess I'm just impressed. I thought I'd be helping you a lot more, but you've really grown up, Rubes. Two years ahead, staying on top of your classes, top of the school in combat class, AND you're dating two girls at the same time. I'm going to have to step up my game!"

Ruby smiled weakly. "Thanks, Yang." Yang wasn't showing it on her face, but Ruby could tell that it was bothering her a bit. Still, she didn't know how to help. Ruby considered purposely doing worse in some of her classes, but common sense prevailed almost at once. It wouldn't help Yang for her to do worse, would it? And doing better in classes meant she'd be better prepared when Roman and Cinder struck. She wouldn't have to worry about her schoolwork as much while trying to save the world if she got ahead with her classes now. Not to mention, every bit stronger she could get in her combat skills would help as well. There just wasn't a good enough reason to slow down. She loved her sister, but Yang was tough. She would step up and do better as well, if only to keep up with her baby sister, and wouldn't that be good in the long run as well?

But was it alright if only Ruby was better prepared this time through? Ruby didn't think so. If she could help her friends be better prepared as well, that was something she wanted to do.

Team RPBY and team WJNR had a team unarmed combat training session together that night, but this time, Ruby had something different in mind.

As the two teams gathered in the unused combat arena that night, Ruby cleared her throat to get everyone's attention. "Could I speak to everyone before we get started tonight?" Ruby asked with as much confidence as she could muster. Public speaking was HARD, but this was important, so Ruby swallowed down her nervousness.

Everyone quieted down and turned towards Ruby without complaint, so she took that as a cue to speak.

"I suppose some of you might be wondering what Blake and I have been working on in private the last few weeks..." Ruby began, glancing toward Blake with a questioning look. Blake looked surprised, then smiled and nodded, so Ruby went on. "You see, ever since Roman Torchwick escaped, I've been worried about what he could be up to. And both Blake and I are concerned about him working with the White Fang."

Jack looked confused. "What does that have to do with us? We're just students."

Ruby frowned. "Well, I'm a little worried that Torchwick might hold a grudge against me for getting him arrested, not to mention the fact that I hurt him pretty badly in that fight. But even if I wasn't worried about that, I kind of feel like Roman Torchwick is partially my responsibility now."

Yang spoke up. "Sis, seriously, he's probably long gone..."

Ruby shook her head. "No. If the White Fang broke him out of prison, they did so for a reason. Plus, there have been two more dust shop robberies since then. I stopped Torchwick from robbing a Dust shop in the first place, so it's pretty likely that it's him doing it."

Blake spoke up. "I don't know if it really WAS the White Fang who are helping him, but if they are, I want to know why."

Weiss spoke up. "Why seems obvious. They want to use the dust to hurt people."

Blake bristled, but Ruby put up a hand to stop her from speaking. "Or to sell it, but yes, the most likely reason someone would steal dust would be to use it, and dust is a weapon." Ruby took a deep breath then went on. "The original White Fang was peaceful. The current White Fang use violence, but, as Blake has pointed out to me, they've never worked with human criminals before. That's really unlike them. So either they've changed how they operate for some reason, or it's not them." Ruby knew better, of course, but she wanted to seem like she trusted Blake's opinion.

Weiss looked thoughtful at that. "It COULD be another group, trying to deflect blame onto the White Fang." She shrugged. "But more likely it's exactly as it appears."

Blake grimaced at that, but Ruby nodded. "There's only one way to know for sure."

Ren spoke up at this. "I'm not liking where this conversation is going..."

Pyrrha frowned. "Ruby, surely you aren't suggesting we hunt down Roman Torchwick?"

Ruby wrinkled her nose. "Actually, I am suggesting that. Or at least, we figure out where he's going to strike next, and see who he's really working with, and then, if we can, stop him and have the police arrest him."

Everyone except Blake was gaping at her in astonishment.

Ruby shrugged helplessly. "I'm not saying we go out searching the streets or anything. Just that we pay attention to what's going on, see if we can figure out their next move, and then maybe go looking? If we figure out where Roman Torchwick and the White Fang..."

Blake cut in. "Or whomever is working with Torchwick..."

Ruby shrugged again. "Or whoever is working with Torchwick... if we find them, we tell the police, and Ozpin, and let them handle it."

Nora was grinning. "Or we could beat them all up ourselves..."

Ren sighed. "No, Nora."

Ruby spoke up. "We don't have enough information to act yet, and I'm not suggesting we do. But what I wanted to suggest, was maybe... maybe we do what we can to be better prepared in case something DOES happen?"

Weiss frowned. "You COULD just leave well enough alone, you know. Torchwick and... WHOMEVER he may be working with are really none of your concern."

Blake spoke up softly. "It's more than just Ruby that has reason to worry." Everyone turned to look at the cat faunus with expressions ranging from confused to understanding. After a long moment, Blake went on to explain. "I left the White Fang because I didn't want to be part of their violence, because I wanted to help people as a huntress. The White Fang, and more specifically, my old mentor, are almost certainly not happy about my turning my back on them. If the White Fang really are here in Vale, then they may come after me as well. And with Ruby and I on the same team..."

Yang winced. "Twice the reason to come after us. Great."

Pyrrha put a hand on Blake's shoulder. "I think it does not need to be said that we will all fight to protect you and Ruby both, Blake."

Yang snorted. "Duh."

Weiss sighed. "Well now, that IS a horse of a different color. If there is any chance that the White Fang might come to Beacon looking for Blake... with or without Roman Torchwick perhaps wishing revenge on Ruby... well obviously we should take precautions."

Blake spoke up. "Even if they don't come after us, I feel a certain responsibility regarding the White Fang. If they are hurting people and I can stop it, I want to do what I can."

Jack raised an eyebrow. "We're already training to be hunters. What more can we do to prepare?"

Ruby shrugged. "Well, maybe there are things that we aren't being taught in classes that we can work on? Like team tactics? Or maybe I could help upgrade some of our weapons?"

Weiss looked thoughtful. "Team tactics IS a good idea. After all, the Vital Festival is coming up next semester, and it can't hurt to start preparing a little bit early. But wouldn't we want to prepare as our separate teams?"

Ruby looked at the floor. "I was hoping... that we could share stuff between our two teams. We're already working together really well, and we're all friends..."

Weiss looked mildly condescending. "But wouldn't you want to have an advantage during the tournament?"

Ruby looked up at Weiss, her eyes firm. "It wouldn't be a disadvantage if we ALL shared. If your team knows our tricks, and our team knows your tricks, things will be even between us. But we'll be at an advantage over every other team out there."

Weiss blinked. "Actually, you have a point there. So what exactly are you suggesting?"

Ruby swallowed. "That we share. That we work on team tactics as a group, not just in our separate teams. That we explain how our semblances and our weapons work, and we figure out how we can use our abilities better together."

Ren looked thoughtful. "I would not be opposed to such a suggestion. Learning how to operate in conjunction with a diverse group of talented people would almost certainly be beneficial in the long run."

Nora shrugged. "Eh, whatever. Just don't tell anyone else. My semblance is a killer secret weapon!"

Ruby smiled. "I think we can all agree to keep what we learn about each other to ourselves, can't we?"

Yang looked thoughtful. "An agreement between teams?"

Pyrrha smiled. "After initiation, I felt like our two teams were people I could truly trust on the battlefield. I think sharing our abilities could be beneficial." She sighed. "My trainers would never approve, but... I will agree, if everyone else does as well?"

Weiss sighed. "Well, the Schnee semblance is hardly a secret, as it's been passed through my family for generations. I'm in."

Blake nodded. "My semblance isn't a huge secret either, although I do have some tricks I've been saving up."

Ruby grinned. "Great! Who wants to go first?"

Jack shrugged. "Well, Ruby already knows about mine. It's basically just physical enhancement. I don't get tired, and all my metabolic functions are enhanced. There's no real trick to it."

Yang pointed to herself. "Well, mine is pretty simple. When I activate my semblance, I get surrounded by an aura that absorbs any damage I take. The harder the hit, the stronger I get till I use all that power to attack."

Ruby pointed at herself. "My semblance is velocity. I can transform and zip around really fast. I'm not really... physical when I use my semblance, so I can't hit anything while I'm using it, but I maintain most of the momentum when I move, so I can use it to build up speed for an attack. I can even take people with me if they're not too heavy, and I can go in any direction, although going up I have to fight gravity, so I can't go up very far with it. I can't use it for very long at a time, either."

Ren spoke up. "My semblance isn't very useful in combat. I can remove negative emotions from myself or anyone I touch. It is very handy for hiding from Grimm, however, and it can be useful for maintaining... focus in tense or emotional situations."

Nora pointed a thumb at herself. "I absorb electricity! It doesn't hurt me, and it makes me stronger!"

Pyrrha blinked. "How did you discover that?"

Nora shrugged. "Got struck by lightning. Didn't die."

Pyrrha goggled at that, then giggled. "Well, my semblance is polarity. I control magnetism. I can manipulate metal objects near me, and move them wherever I wish." Nearly everyone goggled at her.

"Wow..." Yang said. "That sounds awesome."

Pyrrha sighed. "Unfortunately it's not terribly useful against the Grimm. But it is, perhaps, one reason I have been undefeated in tournaments so far." She looked positively embarrassed at admitting that.

Weiss nodded. "It makes sense. But I think I speak for all of us in saying we won't hold it against you. Having a powerful semblance is a good thing. But we won't betray your trust by telling anyone." She smiled at Pyrrha. "Thank you for telling us. That seems like it would be a massive advantage in the ring. I can understand how you might be reluctant to share it."

Pyrrha smiled faintly. "I try not to rely upon it too much, as my trainers advised that I conceal my semblance to use as a trump card, but I've gotten very good at using it subtly. It... it feels rather unfair sometimes. It bothers me."

Weiss snorted. "Nonsense. Your skills are undeniable. Your semblance is just part of who you are. It'd be foolish for anyone to expect you not to use your full gifts in combat."

Pyrrha sighed. "That's what they tell me. Still, it makes fighting human opponents almost painfully easy sometimes."

Weiss grinned. "And that's a good thing." She frowned. "Well, not for us when we meet you in the Vital festival, but we always knew that beating the Invincible Girl would be tricky."

Pyrrha wilted at that.

Weiss sighed. "Pyrrha, it's OK. You've trained hard, and your skills are your own. I don't hold any hard feelings about that."

Pyrrha shrugged her shoulders. "I just... I don't like that name very much. It feels like that name is part of what kept me from having any friends before I came to Beacon. I came here to Beacon to try and get away from all of that."

Weiss bowed her head. "Believe me, I do understand. I also came to Beacon to try and escape my name. As a Schnee, I could have anything I wanted, at least, back in Atlas. Everyone would defer to me, not because I had earned anything, but because they feared my family. I wanted to earn respect on my own as a huntress, to be worthy of my family name rather than to be held up like a trophy."

She coughed. "In any event, my semblance is glyphs. I can create glyphs that can accelerate anyone who steps upon them, glyphs that can pin a target in place, and with dust, I can create glyphs that fire bolts of fire, or ice, or whatever element the dust is. I can alter the terrain around me with dust as well."

Ruby beamed. "I've got some ideas already! Hey Nora, what would you think about putting a lightning dust crystal into your hammer? I could set it up to electrify Magnhild whenever you hit a button. You could use it for a strength boost, or to zap anything you hit at the same time as boosting your strength."

Nora looked enthusiastic. "That sounds AWESOME!" Her face fell. "But I usually can't afford much in the way of dust. I have to use the bulk stuff in my grenades because it's cheaper. Dust Crystals are pretty expensive."

Weiss shrugged. "As part of my team, I'd be happy to finance some improvements to your weapon if you'd like."

Ruby threw up a fist. "Yeah! And I'll do the modifications for you!"

Blake spoke up softly. "I can also use Dust with my semblance. I can leave behind shadow clones of myself. They can take a single hit before evaporating, and they can even help me move or give me a boost when I'm fighting. But with dust, I can give my clones elemental properties. Fire Dust will cause my clones to explode on impact, Ice Dust will cause my clones to freeze around an opponents weapon when they strike, trapping them in place, I can use Earth Dust to create a clone that will act as a barrier. Unfortunately, I usually can't afford it."

Pyrrha nodded to her. "I believe I can help with that a little. For the good of the team. I'll get you some dust you can use for emergencies."

Blake smiled at her. "Thanks, Pyrrha. I won't waste it." Ruby grinned. This was going better than she'd expected.

"We should work on some team tactics tonight!" Ruby announced. "I've already got some great ideas for combo attacks!" Now she REALLY was cheating. It'd taken them months to figure out effective team attacks, and Ruby already knew which ones worked best, and what mistakes they'd made in the past while trying to figure them out. They'd still have to practice, but she could keep her team from wasting a ton of time on stuff that just wouldn't work.

The rest of the training session went well. Tactics were discussed, and they split up into small groups to practice combo attacks, very often with advice from Ruby on what they should be trying for. The teams were different enough from the previous timeline that Ruby had to improvise a bit, remembering what she could of team Juniper's combo attacks and working to combine those into what she remembered of her own team's moves, which had been rather more extensive.

As their time in the combat arena elapsed, Ruby called everyone together again. "Blake and I are just doing some research for now. We're not cops, and we can't just stake out all the dust shops in town. More than that... well, it's probably best if Torchwick and the White Fang don't realize we might come after them, so until we have a really solid lead, I think it's best if we don't do anything to let them know we're coming."

Nora looked disappointed. "No stakeouts? No rooftop crime fighting?"

Ruby shrugged. "We really are here to learn. I just want us to be ready in case something does come up where we feel like we have to act. Plus, we ARE learning how to fight monsters. Becoming stronger together just helps with that."

Weiss smiled at Ruby and nodded. "I can't disagree. You know, Ruby Rose, I find that I am continually underestimating you. You truly do deserve to be the leader of your team."

Ruby's eyes went wide, and a moment later, shone with tears at the corners. "Thanks Weiss. That really means a lot to me to hear you say that."

/-/

Saturday morning rolled around, and team RPBY was getting ready for their dates.

"This is kind of weird..." Ruby admitted. "All of us going out on dates with our teammates..."

Yang grinned. "More like awesome! This is going to be great."

Pyrrha smiled slightly at Yang's enthusiasm. "So, where are we going today, Yang?"

Yang winked. "To a place I know in town. Do you like dancing?"

Pyrrha raised an eyebrow. "You're bringing me to a dance club?"

Yang shrugged. "Yup. Sound OK?"

Pyrrha smiled and nodded. "It sounds lovely. Should I dress up?"

Yang shrugged. "It's not all that fancy. Last time I went there I just wore my combat outfit."

Ruby winced. "Yang, are you taking her to that place you destroyed in Vale?"

Yang raised an eyebrow. "Maybe? I heard they finished rebuilding a couple weeks ago!"

Pyrrha looked dubious. "Are you sure you'll be welcome?"

Yang laughed. "Don't worry, P-money. I've got it covered."

Pyrrha rolled her eyes. "If you're sure."

Ruby turned to Blake. "So, what are we doing today, Blake?"

Blake shrugged. "I thought I'd take you to a couple places in town I know? Nothing really fancy. Just dress casual."

Ruby nodded with a smile, then raised a finger. "Actually, Blake, could we get back to Beacon by seven? I've got a surprise that will be ready right about then."

Blake blinked. "I thought it was my turn to plan the date."

Ruby nodded. "It is, I just... I didn't want to wait anymore. Will you promise me we'll be back here by seven? It's important."

Blake tilted her head curiously, then nodded. "Alright. You've got me curious now."

The four girls got ready to go, and before noon, Blake and Ruby were headed to the airship dock to head into Vale. Yang, on the other hand, led Pyrrha to Beacon's underground garage, where she'd parked Bumblebee.

She handed Pyrrha her spare helmet. "So, Pyrrha, do you know how to ride?"

Pyrrha blinked at the sight of the powerful looking black and yellow motorcycle. "I'm afraid I've never had the experience before."

Yang grinned. "Don't worry, you'll get the hang of it in no time. Just wrap your hands around my waist, lean into my back to keep the wind resistance down, and lean with me when I do. It's easy."

Pyrrha blinked, then nodded. "I'll do my best." She finally said. Yang mounted up, putting her yellow helmet on, and Pyrrha gingerly got onto the motorcycle behind her, and tentatively put her hands around Yang's waist. "Like this?"

Yang looked over her shoulder. "You've got to hold on tight, and lean against my back. It's a lot easier if you're close. Less wind resistance, and you can feel when I'm going to lean better."

Blushing, Pyrrha did as instructed, wrapping her arms more tightly around the blond brawler's waist and hugging herself to Yang's back.

Yang felt the pressure of Pyrrha's breasts against her back and grinned. "That's it. Now hold on!" Revving the engine, she took off, starting things off relatively slow at first. Coming out of Beacon, Yang took it easy, taking turns relatively slowly and using the brake and gas in moderation. She felt Pyrrha shifting with her with each turn, and before long, it was obvious that the Mistralian girl had gotten the hang of it.

"OK! Let's pick up the pace a bit!" Yang announced over her shoulder as they came to a stop at an intersection. "I'm going to really gun her, so hold on really tight!"

Pyrrha chuckled. "Please do."

Bumblebee shot out of the intersection like she was powered by rockets, and Pyrrha whooped in excitement as they accelerated down the road. Yang kept the speed high as they entered their first turn, leaning hard into the turn to whip around the corner, and accelerated further.

"This is quite exhilarating!" Pyrrha shouted in Yang's ear.

"What?" Yang shouted back, not quite able to make out the words.

"This is quite exhilarating!" Pyrrha shouted again.

"Fun, huh?" Yang answered back, not really knowing what Pyrrha was saying, but getting the idea that she was happy from her tone.

They rode into Vale, past, and through it, and up to a ridgeline overlooking the city before Yang finally pulled over at a rest stop that had a good view of Vale below.

Getting off the bike, Pyrrha was breathing heavily, but beaming, her face reddened by the wind and her hair more than a little windswept, despite the bronze hairpiece that normally held it in place

Pyrrha looked around, curiously. "I thought we were going to a club?"

Yang shrugged. "The club won't open for a couple hours yet. I thought we could ride for a bit first."

Pyrrha smiled. "I have to admit, I am enjoying it. Bumblebee seems like a very fine machine, and you seem quite skilled at using her."

Yang's eyes twinkled, and she stepped into Pyrrha's personal space. "You're a pretty fine machine yourself, Pyrrha. And trust me... I'm skilled at using all kinds of things." Pyrrha blushed pink, but didn't answer right away. She swallowed, licking her lips nervously. Yang hesitated. "Sorry... too much?"

Pyrrha wrinkled her nose. "No... not exactly. But I thought we were just having a date as friends?"

Yang shrugged. "One, I like to flirt. Two... isn't that sort of what going on a date is about? Finding out how we fit as MORE than friends?"

Pyrrha raised an eyebrow. "Won't Ruby be jealous?"

Yang looked thoughtful at that. "I honestly don't know. But it was Ruby's idea that I take you out on a date, so I don't think so. She knows me better than that."

Pyrrha looked confused. "What is it that you think Ruby wants from all of this?"

Yang shrugged. "Honestly? I think she wants all of us to be happy. That's the most important thing to her. And, well, I was going on about how going on dates with people was how you figure out if you're compatible with someone... I think Ruby wants us all to figure out who we're most comfortable with."

Pyrrha raised an eyebrow. "And why were you so willing to go along with it?"

Yang grinned at her. "Why do you think, P-money?"

Pyrrha blushed. "I... I would rather it said clearly, Yang."

Yang nodded, turning away, and started to walk slowly. Pyrrha came up on her side and the two of them started walking along a path that led along the cliffside.

"I've told you that you're hot, right?" Yang began.

Pyrrha swallowed, then nodded. "I suppose it's not too far fetched to imagine someone might find me physically attractive." She admitted.

Yang snorted. "Ninety percent of the population probably agrees with me. There's a reason your face is on cereal boxes, Pyrrha, and it's not just because you're an undefeated champion. You're positively smoking hot."

Pyrrha blushed again, but smiled. "Thank you for the complement, Yang. But is that the extent of it?"

Yang shrugged again. "No, not really. I've told you that I swing both ways, right?"

Pyrrha nodded back. "Yes. You said something to the extent that you can find both men and women attractive."

Yang nodded. "Well, that's true. And I've looked. Do you know how many people at our school are both currently unattached and I find even mildly interesting?"

Pyrrha shook her head. "I assume you plan on telling me?"

Yang grinned. "You assume correctly. Of the first years, Cardin's team is a bunch of mouth breathers. No joy there. One or two of them might have caught my eye if they weren't such sycophantic losers, but Cardin's ruined them. No way." She licked her lips. "To be honest, I could go for either Ren or Nora, if they weren't so obviously together. I mean, they can deny it all they like, but I'm pretty sure Nora would start contemplating murder if I hit on Ren... and Nora wouldn't look twice at me with Ren in the picture, even if she swung that way... so they're out."

Pyrrha blinked. "That makes sense. What about Weiss? Or Jack?"

Yang shrugged. "Weiss is... well, she's cute. And that's not bad, but... she's a bit too uptight for my book. She might be fun to try and thaw her a bit, but... that's a lot of work for only a small chance at a reward. Might be worth it, but there are tastier fish in the sea. As for Jack? Boy's... nice, but I'm just not feeling it. Maybe I'm not being fair. He's got a lot of potential, and he's growing fast, but... no. I'm not going to go out with him just because he's a nice guy, even if I kind of feel bad for dismissing him out of hand like that."

Pyrrha swallowed. "Which, I suppose, leaves me and Blake out of all the first year students?"

Yang nodded. "You both are really hot. And I like you. I mean, sexy and fun to be around? What's not to like?"

Pyrrha licked her lips lightly and nodded. "That makes sense, I suppose. Why haven't you said anything before this?"

Yang shrugged. "Ruby." Pyrrha looked at her curiously, and Yang explained. "Well, besides the fact that both you and Blakey are obviously into her, Ruby is coming out of her shell for the first time here at Beacon. I want to give her every chance to be the wonderful woman I know she can be. Ruby's going to be amazing when she finishes growing up. She makes me so proud I almost want to burst, you know? What kind of big sister would I be if I swooped in and stole the girl she first fell in love with?"

Pyrrha raised an eyebrow. "Aren't you sort of doing that now?"

Yang shook her head. "This... this is Ruby's choice. I'm going to support her as far as I possibly can. If that means I have to date a really hot, smart, and tough badass like Pyrrha Nikos? Well damn. I'll gladly throw myself on that sexy, sexy grenade if she needs me too."

Pyrrha snorted, and broke out into a fit of giggles. "Oh Yang... you are... you are too much!"

Yang threw her arms wide as if to emphasize herself. "You know it!" Pyrrha started to laugh harder, and Yang chuckled along, both of them grinning at each other like fools.

When Pyrrha finally managed to stifle her giggles, she shook her head. "Yang... do you really like me? I mean, like like me?"

Yang shrugged. "I'm not making any of this up, Pyrrha. I think you're sexy as hell. You're smart, you're strong, and you're great with Ruby, which is pretty important to me, seeing as I'm always going to be trying to look after her. I don't want to get between her and someone she wants... but... well, Ruby wants this." She gestured at Pyrrha, then herself. "She wants us to figure out if we like each other as more than just friends. She wants us all to figure out who we'll be happiest with. So yeah, I'm interested, P-money. But we'll take things slow. Plenty of time to figure all of this out, right?"

Pyrrha nodded slowly in agreement. "Yes. Yes you're right." She smiled softly. "I must admit, I do find you very attractive as well, Yang."

Yang raised an eyebrow. "Didn't you say that before Ruby, you never really found anyone attractive like that?"

Pyrrha nodded. "I did. And today I found someone else I am attracted to."

Yang grinned. "Well damn. On the short list!"

Pyrrha smiled. "It's a very exclusive club."

Yang opened her mouth, then closed it. "I was going to make a joke..." She said finally. "But damn. I'm actually really flattered right now."

Pyrrha just smiled. "You deserve to be flattered. You're a really wonderful person, Yang. You're the best big sister I've ever known... to be honest, you define those words to me now. If I ever hear someone call themselves a big sister, I'll end up comparing them to you, and I have little doubt they'll come up lacking. You're so warm to all of us. You brought us into your heart and you take care of your team like we're members of your family. You make jokes, but we all know how much you care about us. You are truly remarkable."

Yang was speechless for quite a while. "Well... dang. That was a thing."

/-/

Blake led Ruby through the city, holding her hand. She kept glancing back at the diminutive girl, wondering at how strange her life had become since meeting the girl who was now her team leader. Everything had changed in the last few months. She had been in love... or she had thought she was in love, with a tall, intimidating man. Ruby was a short, cute girl. Where Adam had been implacable, Ruby was thoughtful, where Adam had been controlling, Ruby was almost afraid of pushing her too hard. Adam was a faunus who was both older and more experienced than she was, Ruby was a human girl two years her junior who had led an almost idyllic life in comparison to her own. Rather than preparing to attack SDC facilities or hijack trains, she was at school, training to protect people from monsters. Almost nothing of her old life remained.

One thing was very similar, however. Ruby was driven. Dedicated. Adam had been as well. Blake assumed he probably still was, although the direction of that drive had twisted from wanting justice for their people into wanting to destroy humanity. Ruby's focus on the other hand was on being a huntress, and on being a good team leader, and on making everyone around her as happy as she could manage. Blake found Ruby's dedication considerably easier to believe in.

She came to a stop outside a small, quiet looking bookstore, 'Tuckson's Book Trade.' "This is our first stop." She told Ruby with a smile. "I know the owner."

Ruby beamed. "Neat! I like bookstores."

Blake smiled. "Me too."

Entering, they found the place deserted, although it was filled almost to the roof with stack upon stack of books laid upon the many shelves.

Blake went up to the front counter, and rang the bell. A large man with dark sideburns came out from the back with a pleased smile. "Welcome to Tuckson's Book Trade!" he greeted. "Home to every book under the sun." His eyes widened slightly as he took in the sight of Blake, glancing up at her bow, then over to Ruby.

"Can I help you ladies?" He asked carefully.

"Hey Tuckson." Blake said easily. "This is Ruby. She's my team leader at Beacon. She's cool."

Tuckson blinked. "Is that so?"

Blake nodded. "Yeah. She knows all about me. Figured out I was a faunus after... what, a week?" She glanced back at Ruby, who shrugged sheepishly.

Tuckson snorted. "I told you that that bow wouldn't fool people for very long."

Blake shrugged. "Well, it works MOST of the time. I still wear it in the city. Easier than dealing with bigots on the street."

Tuckson grunted. "Not all of us can hide who we are, Blake. But I guess I can't blame you."

Blake sighed. "Yeah. Not that I hide much anymore. My secret is out all across Beacon." She smiled. "It's actually a pretty nice place. The staff don't give a damn if you have cat ears or a tail. They just want to train good hunters. And they do." She shrugged. "There's still a few idiots, but my team has my back, one hundred percent."

Tuckson gave Blake a genuine smile. "That's great to hear. It's good to have more faunus hunters out there, you know?"

Blake nodded. "There are actually quite a few faunus students there. We've got our share of bigots too, but they're firmly in the minority, and pretty much nobody is in a mood to listen to their crap." She shook her head. "And get this. Weiss Schnee... heiress to the SDC, is one of my friends there."

Tuckson blinked. "You're kidding, right? When does a Schnee come down out of the clouds to spend time with the dirty faunus?" He scoffed. "There has to be an angle."

Blake shook her head. "No. I know why you'd think so. I mean, I thought the same myself when I first met her. But Ruby... well, Ruby and my team, and Weiss's team, we've been close since initiation. Fighting giant monsters together can do that. And I got to know Weiss before she knew I was a faunus. When she found out, it shook her. Sure, she was raised to hate us, but she's not stupid. She can think for herself, and she has. She doesn't like her father's treatment of the faunus, and she wants to change things..."

Tuckson raised an eyebrow. "Sure... seems a bit too good to be true."

Blake shrugged. "Old man Schnee won't give up control of the company till he's dead and gone, but, if Weiss does end up inheriting, I think we'll see more than just a little progress on that front."

Tuckson nodded slowly. "Huh. That's actually kind of good to hear. I mean, it doesn't do anything now, but..."

Blake smiled and shrugged. "Hope for the future, maybe?" She hesitated. "Hey, do you think I could bring her by sometime? Weiss, I mean? She'll be on her best behavior, I promise."

Tuckson blinked. "Huh. Really?" He thought about it. "OK, if you vouch for her, she's welcome. I'd like to see this miracle for myself."

Blake smiled. "Just be polite, OK? She's a good person, but she's still..." she searched for the word.

"Uptight?" Ruby supplied helpfully.

Blake laughed. "Well, she expects everyone to rise to her standards, I guess. It's not really a bad thing..."

Tuckson laughed. "I get it. All snooty and polished manners?"

Blake shrugged. "Well, the manners... and yeah, she's a little snooty. But underneath she's lonely, and a little shy. And there's a genuinely nice person underneath all the icy exterior. She never once belittled or insulted any of the faunus at school because of who they are. She'll insult you to your face if she thinks your... uncouth, or whatever, but never because you happen to have cat ears."

Tuckson snorted. "I get the idea. Sure. Bring her on down." He rolled his eyes. "Just give me a couple hours warning, huh? A Schnee walking in on the wrong set of customers might start a riot."

Blake chuckled. "I'll let you know."

She turned to Ruby. "So... this is an old friend of mine, Ruby." She gestured from Ruby to the big man. "Ruby, this is Tuckson, Tuckson, this is Ruby."

Ruby beamed and held out her hand to him. "Hi! Nice to meet you!"

Tuckson took her hand and shook it firmly. "Right back at you. Team leader huh?" He looked her up and down. "Can I say you look really young for your age?"

Ruby blushed. "Actually, I'm fifteen. I got into Beacon two years early."

Blake nodded to Ruby. "Apparently my fearless leader here stopped a Dust Store robbery and captured a particularly notorious criminal... right when Beacon's combat instructor was about to show up. Miss Goodwitch saw Ruby here in action, and before the night was out Headmaster Ozpin himself came down to give her an invite to Beacon." She bragged.

Ruby blushed brighter, and Blake grinned at the reaction. "Ruby doesn't like it when people brag about her, but she's really amazing. I've never seen anyone cut through Grimm like this little reaper can."

Tuckson's eyes were wide. "That was you?" He gaped at Ruby. "Wow... I thought you'd be taller." Tuckson's face turned grave. "Blake... actually, about Torchwick..." He glanced at Ruby, frowning. "Can we talk?"

Blake glanced around the shop, finding it still empty save for them and Ruby. "Ruby knows all about me. All about. You can talk freely."

Tuckson blinked. "Really? Er... wow?" He shook his head as if to clear it. "Word is, he's running the local chapter of the White Fang. No idea how he managed it, but a lot of people are looking to get out like you did. They don't like the way the new White Fang is handling business."

Blake had gone still. "So... it's true?"

Tuckson nodded. "I've been slipping people out of the city a few at a time. Torchwick doesn't like it when people desert. Neither does Adam. You should watch yourself."

Blake grimaced. "Adam. Is he in town?"

Tuckson shook his head. "Not as far as I know. Not sure where he is, I've been hearing weird stuff. Torchwick is stealing a whole lot of dust, and weapons. Looks like they're planning something big. Whatever it is, I don't think it'll help the faunus as much as it's going to help Torchwick."

Blake's eyes narrowed. "Why is that?"

Tuckson shook his head. "The guy's too neat. He's never been a sympathizer. He's in it for the money. Maybe the fame, but in any case, he's not in it for the cause. My gut tells me that there's someone above him pulling the strings, but I'm too far out of the loop to know for sure."

Blake frowned. "Tuckson, if things are getting bad, maybe you should pull out as well. Head to Menagerie. My folks will make sure you're alright."

Tuckson sighed. "I've been considering it, believe me. Still, a lot of folks don't have the wherewithal to get out without some help. That's where I come in. I can't just leave while people are still trying to get out."

Ruby put both hands on the counter with a bang. "What can we do to help?"

/-/

As they left the shop, Ruby was still talking on her scroll. "Thanks dad. I love you too."

Blake was shaking her head. "You don't have to do this. Your father doesn't have to do this..."

Ruby giggled. "Are you kidding? Smuggling faunus out of the city to escape the White Fang? Dad is happy to help. Tuckson can send people over to Patch, call my Dad, and my dad will make sure they get to a boat going to Menagerie from there. Don't worry, my dad is tough. He'll make sure everybody is safe."

Blake nodded slowly. "It'll help a lot. Nobody is going to expect faunus running away from the White Fang to go to Patch first. And having a trained huntsman escorting them in Patch will make them a whole lot safer."

Ruby smiled. "It's fine. Dad promised he'd keep things quiet from the police as well. He understood why some of the people running from the White Fang might not want to go to the authorities."

"Including myself." Blake admitted wryly. "I don't think there is a warrant out for my arrest in particular, but letting the police know that I used to be a terrorist isn't going to go over well. Still, I can't believe he agreed so easily!"

Ruby smiled. "Dad is the best." She sighed. "I wouldn't call that easily though. He didn't want to cause a fuss right there while we were talking to Tuckson, but he'll be giving me the third degree later tonight. I promised him I'd call him by eight."

Blake sighed. "Ruby... I'm sorry I'm causing you all this trouble."

Ruby smiled. "You're my friend. I want to do this. Your troubles are mine, OK?"

Blake smiled back, gratefully. "You really are the best, Ruby Rose."

Ruby blushed. "Aww... you're just saying that."

Blake snorted. "You have no idea how special you are, do you. Ruby... you're like no one I've ever known."

Ruby winced slightly, then tried to smile. "I like you too, Blake." She took in a deep breath. "So... was that the whole date?"

Blake blinked. "Oh my gosh! I forgot! I wanted you to pick out something you liked so I could buy you a present!"

Ruby beamed at her. "Oh, you didn't have to do that..."

Blake shook her head. "I wanted to. Want to go back to Tuckson's and pick something out?"

Ruby thought about that. "How about we go back tomorrow? I know our date is only supposed to be today, but... well, we kind of got interrupted by serious stuff."

Blake's face fell. "I'm sorry, Ruby. Not much of a date, I guess."

Ruby shook her head. "I don't mind. I'm glad I got to meet Tuckson. He seems like a good guy."

Blake's face brightened. "Well, let me at least treat you to tea. I know this great place..."

Ruby's eyebrows rose. "Tea...?"

/-/

Ruby tried to put on a smile and sip her plant flavored hot water some more. "Mmm!" She murmured with as much appreciation as she could muster.

Blake snickered, looking torn between laughter and feeling upset. "You don't like tea, do you." It was a statement, not a question, but Ruby answered it anyway.

"Well, I've never had it before... but it's... nice?"

Blake chuckled wryly. "Well, strike two, I guess. This date is not off to the best start."

Ruby shrugged. "It's fine. I'm just happy to be spending time with you, Blake. Did you have anything else planned?"

Blake shook her head with a sigh. "No, I think I'm going to surrender for today. Are you still willing to try again tomorrow?"

Ruby beamed. "I sure am! Can I pick tomorrow?"

Blake grinned. "Absolutely."

Ruby nodded. "I've got a plan then. Although we are going back to Tuckson's for my present."

Blake grinned wider. "Sounds good to me."

Blake lifted her own cup of tea and took a sip, while Ruby put hers down and pushed it subtly away from herself. Glancing out from the balcony of the rooftop cafe they were at, Ruby smiled. "The view is really nice. And they have other drinks here. I'm glad you brought me here."

Blake snorted. "Liar."

Ruby raised a hand. "Totally true. OK, apparently I'm not a big fan of tea, but this place is pretty, and it's got a great view. I like it. Next time I'll just get a hot chocolate or something."

Blake nodded. "Sounds like a plan. Want one now?"

Ruby pulled out her scroll and checked the time. "Maybe to go? We've got to get back to school. We need to be at the library by seven!"

Blake blinked. "The library?"

Ruby's nose wriggled back and forth, and she got a furtive look on her face. "Just... trust me, OK?"

Blake nodded. "I do. OK, I guess we should head back then!" She stood up, heading for the front counter of the little tea shop. "But first I'm getting you that hot chocolate to go."

/-/

Yang pulled her bike up to the front of Junior's club and stopped, pushing down the kickstand with one foot and removing her helmet. Behind her, Pyrrha removed her own helmet and put it on the back of the bike, looking at the front of the club curiously. The beat of dance music was easily heard from the street, and the light from a disco ball could be seen scintillating out of the various second story windows.

"So... this is the place?" Pyrrha wagered.

"Yup. Come on. Stick with me, and act tough." Yang hopped off her bike and started to swagger toward the doors with a sensual strut that all but challenged anyone watching to take a second look. The two men standing watch by the front doors saw her coming, and their eyes went wide. After several seconds of incredulous staring, they broke and ran inside, slamming the large double doors behind them.

Pyrrha, who had been more than slightly distracted watching Yang walk from behind, blinked in confusion as the two men ran, and she watched bemusedly as they closed the large doors with a bang. "I take it they know you here?"

Yang chuckled. "You could say that." She accelerated her pace slightly, heading for the doors with an air of determination. When she reached the door, she deployed Ember Celica and punched the doors wide open with a blast of mixed fire and air dust. Yang strode into the room with a cocky smile. "Guess who's back!" She announced cheerfully.

A dozen men surrounded her in a rough half circle inside the entrance to the dance club, pointing pistols at her. Alarmed, Pyrrha used her semblance to pull Miló and Akoúo into her hands as she rushed up to Yang's side, holding her shield out in front of the blond brawler, who had apparently retracted her shotgun gauntlets and was holding up her hands in a gesture clearly designed to show she wasn't about to attack.

Pyrrha blinked, confused, but remained where she was, facing down the large body of men with a fierce glare and readied weapons.

In the background, the music started skipping as the DJ apparently had taken cover instead of tending to his records.

"Yang..." Pyrrha growled softly. "Could you perhaps explain why all these men are pointing weapons at you?"

"Stop! Stop!" A gruff man's voice rang out from behind the crowd of armed thugs. "Nobody shoot... anything." A very tall man with a well developed beard and mustache rushed up, putting out his hands to the group of thugs, pushing some aside and pushing down their pistols where he could reach. "Blondie, you're here... with..." His eyes went wide. "With HER?" He whirled. "Everybody go... do something else. Nobody is starting a fight with these two, got it?"

Yang grinned, her hands were on her hips, and she nodded pleasantly to Pyrrha, who shrugged and put her own weapons away on her back.

Yang moved forward, grabbing the large man by the shoulder and dragging him toward the bar. "You still owe me a drink." She said, sounding utterly pleased with herself.

Pyrrha followed along, looking bemused as the gang of rough looking men in black suits dispersed quickly, hiding away their pistols and trying to pretend they hadn't been about to assault a customer. She took note of a pair of young women in fancy dress, one in red, the other in white, who had rushed up at the last minute. They glanced between her and Yang, then shook their heads and stalked away. Pyrrha could sense more than a little fear in their movements, although the two young women did their best to conceal it as they retreated. Pyrrha sighed. Her reputation apparently proceeded her even here, although at the same time, these people obviously also knew Yang well enough to know not to pick a fight with her... which Pyrrha had to admit, was probably wise. Yang was one of the most powerful fighters Pyrrha knew. Even as well armed as this particular band of well dressed thugs appeared to be, Pyrrha could sense that none of them would pose a significant threat to Yang alone, much less both Yang and her. It was just as well their apparent leader was wise enough to recognize that fact.

Pyrrha stalked after Yang towards the bar, determined to get an explanation.

Yang was quietly interrogating the man when Pyrrha reached them at the bar.

"I don't know where he is. I lent him my men, and none of them ever came back. I haven't seen him since the last time you were here." The man was saying.

"Junior... you better not be bullshitting me." Yang warned.

Junior rolled his eyes. "I've already told you everything. Torchwick hired my boys, and I guess he wasn't happy with them..." He glared at some of the black suited thugs who were trying to act casual by the doors. "Which is something I can relate to!" He shouted in their direction, causing them to mill about uncertainly, looking for something to do or someplace to go that wouldn't make it quite so obvious that they weren't busy doing anything useful. He glanced at Pyrrha as she walked up. "You didn't have to bring the freaking Invincible Girl down here to beat it out of me. I don't know anything else."

Yang chuckled. "Oh Junior, we both know I don't need anyone backing me up. Pyrrha here is just hanging out with me today. We wanted to go dancing."

Junior blinked. "Um... sure, whatever. Just don't bust up the place and you can have anything you want."

Yang grinned. "Then I want two Strawberry Sunrise's. With those little umbrellas."

Pyrrha looked at Yang and chuckled. "Well, I can't say I expected any of that."

Yang grinned back at her. "I'm always full of surprises."

Pyrrha shook her head, still smiling. "Apparently so." She turned to look over the dance floor, where the music had started up again, and customers had started to filter out onto the floor to get back to partying. "Interesting place. Whatever brought you here in the first place, Yang?"

Junior had walked off to prepare their drinks, and Yang sighed. "I was looking for my mom. My real mom. Ruby's actually my half sister."

Pyrrha blinked. "I see. What happened to your mother, then?"

Yang shrugged. "She left when I was only a baby. Ruby's mom, Summer, married our dad and had Ruby, and she raised us both. She was super mom, baker of cookies and slayer of monsters. She was the only mom I ever knew, and I loved her. But when I was six, she went out on a mission, and never came back. Dad... it broke him. It turned out it wasn't the first time someone had left him, and I found out about my own mom. Raven."

Pyrrha put a hand on Yang's shoulder. "That must have been very difficult for you."

Yang sighed. "It wasn't great. Ruby was just a baby, and dad was a mess. I had to step up and take care of things. But I wanted to know what happened to my mom. Why she left, why she never contacted us. She's not dead... dad's admitted that much, but he won't tell me anything else. So I've been looking." She glanced to one side and noticed Junior walk up with their drinks. "Thanks Junior."

Junior, who had apparently heard quite a bit more than Yang probably wanted, just shrugged. "On the house, Blondie." He hesitated. "I really have never seen her. I'd tell you if I had."

Yang nodded roughly and he took that as a sign he could go, which he did, wandering down to the other end of the bar to serve drinks to another customer.

Pyrrha glanced towards the tall man. "So... you came here looking for her?"

Yang nodded. "I busted some heads and found out that Junior here is the guy to go to for information here in Vale. So I came looking. Our first... conversation didn't go well, and I kind of tore up the place. Unfortunately, Junior's never seen my mom. Nobody seems to have. I'm at a dead end at the moment."

Pyrrha sighed. "I'm sorry."

Yang shrugged. "It is what it is. I've got Rubes, and Dad, and our Uncle Qrow. They're not the most normal family in the world, but they're mine."

Pyrrha smiled. "I think they must be rather wonderful."

Yang raised an eyebrow. "Oh? Why is that?"

Pyrrha nodded at her. "Because you're a part of that family, and you're rather wonderful."

Yang blushed, then groaned. "Stop saying that. It's going to go straight to my head."

Pyrrha giggled. "I'll have to take my chances, I suppose."

Yang rolled her eyes, then laughed, taking a large swig of her drink, she put it down on the counter, then stepped away from it, holding out one hand to Pyrrha. "Well, we came here to dance, so let's dance!"

Pyrrha took Yang's hand, beaming. "I'd love to dance."

/-/

Ruby led Blake through the Beacon library to one of the terminals in the back corner, where the younger girl started tapping away, putting in her Beacon ID number, then apparently making some sort of long distance call?

Blake's eyes narrowed. "Ruby, what's this all about?"

Ruby rushed around to Blake's other side and started shoving her in the direction of the terminal. "It's a surprise... now come stand over here."

Blake reluctantly allowed Ruby to place her in front of the terminal, but her eyes went wide as the terminal connected, and she saw the person who was on the other end of the call.

Kali Belladonna's face went from hesitation to joy in an instant. "Blake! Oh Blake! It's so wonderful to see you honey!" She glanced off screen. "Ghira, Ghira come quick! It's our daughter!"

Blake's eyes fixed on the pleased expression of her team leader and nominal girlfriend, and her own expression caused the happiness to start draining away from Ruby's face. "Ruby Rose... what did you do?!"

* * *

**And... nobody gets whacked in the face with a pillow. My streak has ended, the running gag has run it's course. Ah well. I hope you all enjoyed anyway!**

**And sheesh, Yang, Blake, what did Ruby say about keeping a low profile? Naturally nothing can go wrong with sneaking around and asking information dealers about Roman Torchwick and the White Fang, right?**


	8. Chapter 8

Ruby looked down at her feet. "I just... I knew you were scared to talk to your folks, but I also knew that if they were anything like you, that they'd forgive you and want to see you again. And I know you wanted to see them again."

Blake sighed, then glanced at her mother's image on the screen. "I don't appreciate you going behind my back, Ruby."

Kali spoke up. "Blake... I understand that your friend contacted us without your permission, but I hope you will forgive her. You can't possibly understand how wonderful it is for me to see you after all this time."

Blake swallowed and slowly moved forward to sit at the desk in front of the computer monitor. "I'm so sorry Mom. I should have contacted you ages ago... I just... I was just..."

Kali looked concerned. "Blake, talk to me. Please. Whatever you need to say, I'll listen."

Before Blake could reply, a huge man bustled into the picture behind Kali. "Blake! Blake honey is it you?"

Blake shivered almost in fear, then slowly nodded. "Hi... hi Dad."

The man, Ghira Belladonna's, face broke into an ecstatic smile. "Blake! It's so wonderful to see you. Are you alright?"

Blake nodded slowly. "I'm fine... I'm a student here at Beacon academy. I'm doing fine."

Ghira smiled warmly. "So I heard. I was so pleased to hear about how well you're doing from your... your team leader, isn't it?" He peered at the screen. "Ruby Rose, wasn't it? Is she there?"

Ruby leaned in and waved. "Er... hi!"

Ghira nodded to Ruby with a pleased smile. "Thank you so much for arranging this call, Miss Rose. I can't tell you how much I appreciate it."

Blake's head fell. "I'm sorry... I should have called, I just... I was just..."

Ghira looked worried. "What's wrong, sweetheart?"

Blake shook her head, not able to look at the screen. "How... can you still love me after what I did?"

"Blake." Ghira's voice had gone soft. "Your mother and I will always love you."

"You were right!" Blake cried. "I shouted at you, and yelled at you, but you were right." She finally raised her eyes to meet the screen, tears dripping down her face. "I called you cowards."

"It's OK..." Ghira said softly but firmly.

"I should have left the White Fang with you and Mom." Blake admitted. "I should have listened to you and I'm sorry. I'm so, so sorry."

"Blake, it's fine." Ghira told her quietly, his face filled with genuine concern and love. "We never held anything against you, and I never feared you would fail." His eyes turned downward, and he sighed. "The only thing I feared was that you would fall down the wrong path, and I am so proud to see you haven't."

"But I did... I was..." Blake began.

"But you pulled yourself out." Ghira told her firmly. "You came back from that path, and chose a better one. Going to Beacon, choosing to become a huntress. Those are choices you should be proud of."

Kali chimed in. "Ruby told us how well you're doing in school, sweetheart, about the friends you've made, and your decision to become a huntress to protect the people. Your father and I are very proud of you."

Blake glared halfheartedly at her team leader. "She kind of forgot to mention she'd be calling you."

Ruby wilted slightly. "Sorry?"

Blake sighed, then rolled her eyes. "It's alright." she turned back to her parents. "Ruby has been a great team leader, and a good friend. She's been wanting me to call you guys for awhile now, but I was just... scared."

Kali smiled softly at her daughter. "Well, don't be. Your father and I just want you to be happy, Blake, and it seems like you are. At least a little?"

Blake nodded. "Yes... yes, Beacon is great. I... well, there are the occasional bigoted morons, but most of the people here don't have any problem with my being a faunus, and Ruby, and my team, they're wonderful."

Ghira beamed. "I'm so happy for you, sweetheart. And I'm impressed! Beacon is the best combat school in Remnant! And you got in through your entrance exam scores alone?"

Blake sighed. "Well, I've... I've learned a lot about fighting since I left home... for... well, for obvious reasons."

Ghira nodded, then returned Blake's sigh. "Yes. And I'm so sorry you had to go through all of that. I never trusted that Adam boy with you..."

Blake winced, looking away. "Yeah... and you were right. Adam, it turns out he wasn't what I thought he was."

Kali looked worried. "Blake, he didn't hurt you, did he baby?"

Blake shook her head quickly. "No! No... I... he had no idea that I was thinking about leaving till after I'd already run. He'd gotten colder, but he thought I was on his side. I'm sure he's absolutely furious with me, but he has no idea where I am right now, so I'm sure I'll be safe."

Ghira's eyes flashed. "Do you think he might come after you?"

Blake sighed. "I hope he won't... but Adam... Adam doesn't take betrayal lightly."

Ghira frowned. "Blake, what exactly did he have you doing? What is Adam doing in Vale?"

Blake shook her head. "I don't know for sure. Stealing dust, and weapons, I think. I... I heard from a contact... a friend, that the White Fang here in Vale are working with a man named Roman Torchwick. A criminal. Quite a few dust stores have been robbed. I think they must be planning something big."

Ghira sighed. "Well, at least you got out when you did. I'll make some inquires myself, and see if I can find anything out. I don't like the idea of a White Fang attack happening somewhere in Vale, especially not with you going to school there."

Ruby blinked, suddenly remembering. "Tuckson! Oh yeah! Blake, maybe your parents can help too?"

Blake looked at Ruby in astonishment, then her face slowly grew contemplative. "Actually, that's a good idea, Ruby." She turned to face her parents. "Mom, Dad, there's a man here in Vale. Tuckson. He runs a book store, and he's also an agent for the White Fang. Or at least, he was. Right now, he's busy helping faunus get away from the White Fang. A lot of people don't like the way things are going, what with Torchwick controlling things in Vale." She shook her head. "I don't understand how that could happen... Adam would never work for a human, and yet..."

Ghira nodded soberly. "So this man, Tuckson, is trying to get faunus out of the White Fang, and get them to safety?"

Blake nodded quickly. "Yes. He's a good man. Apparently Torchwick has made some examples out of faunus who tried to protest what they're doing, and he's tracked down some of those who ran, or his people have. I'm not really sure about the details, but..."

Ghira wrinkled his nose. "We'll help as much as we can, Blake. I don't like the idea of you getting involved in all of this though."

Blake frowned. "I have to DO something about the White Fang here in Vale. Whatever they're planning, whatever reason they're working for Roman Torchwick, it can't be good."

Ruby chimed in. "We're not going to take any chances, Mister and Mrs Belladonna." She quickly assured them. "We're going to do research, and maybe try to figure out where Roman Torchwick is going to be, and then we'll turn over what we've learned to the police, and to headmaster Ozpin."

Ghira frowned, then nodded. "I've heard good things about Ozpin." He smiled at his daughter, worry in his eyes, but pride as well. "Don't take any chances, Blake. I think your team leader has a good head on her shoulders. Listen to her."

Blake chuckled, then glanced at Ruby fondly. "You're right Dad. Ruby is great. I'll follow her lead."

Kali sighed. "We haven't heard about any of this. It's disheartening. The White Fang is hurting their own members? People are having to be smuggled out of Vale so that this Torchwick doesn't harm them? How could things get so bad?"

Ghira growled. "I'll be bringing this up to Sienna Khan the next time I see her."

Ruby spoke up. "I was hoping you could talk to my father about this? You see, I asked him to help. Tuckson is going to try sending faunus to Patch, where my father lives, and he'll escort them across Patch to a shipyard with cargo going to Menagerie. I was hoping maybe... you and my dad could work together somehow?"

Ghira's eyes widened, and then he smiled. "I'd be happy to talk to your father, Miss Rose."

Ruby beamed. "Thanks Mister Belladonna!" She went to the library terminal and started to tap away. "Actually, he's expecting a call from me pretty soon, so why don't I just make this a conference call?"

Blake's eyes went slightly wide as Ruby finished preparing the call, and she fought a sudden urge to hide behind her small leader as the face of a blond, slightly weather-beaten looking man with tan skin with a healthy amount of blond stubble on his chin, came into view.

"Hello? Ruby?" The man asked curiously. "What's going on here?"

Ruby faced the screen, looking a bit nervous. "Hi Dad. Dad, this is my teammate, Blake Belladonna..." She gestured to Blake, who waved to the man with a forced smile. "And on the other screen are Blake's mom and dad, Ghira and Kali Belladonna. Everyone? This is my dad, Taiyang Xiao Long."

Kali leaned toward the screen. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Taiyang! Your daughter Ruby seems like a wonderful girl."

Tai blinked, then smiled back. "The pleasure is all mine, Kali, was it?"

Kali nodded immediately. "And this is my husband, Ghira." She gestured to the enormous man at her side.

"A pleasure." Ghira said warmly.

Tai nodded. "Good to meet you as well, Ghira." His gaze shifted to one side. "So, Ruby, you brought us together, I assume you had a reason?"

Ruby laughed nervously. "Well... Dad, you said you'd help Tuckson smuggle faunus out of Vale and through Patch, and I thought maybe Chief Ghira could help with that?"

Tai blinked. "Chief...?" His eyes went wide. "Oh! Ghira Belladonna, chieftain of the Island of Menagerie!" He flushed slightly in embarrassment. "Sorry, Chieftain, er... how should I address you...?"

Ghira laughed. "Ghira is just fine. Our daughters are in a team at Beacon together, after all, so why don't we cut the formality and talk to each other as friends?"

Tai relaxed, smiling. "Sure, Ghira. I'd like that." He frowned. "I take it Ruby and Blake here have told you about what's happening in Vale?"

Ghira nodded slowly. "It's unsettling news. To see an organization I founded to be a symbol of peace and unity between human and faunus, reduced to working for a human criminal? We hadn't heard anything like this here in Menagerie, but I think that must be on purpose. Sienna would know I'd never stand for such tactics."

Tai's face went through a number of expressions as he fought to keep up. "You founded...?" He shook his head. "Right... I remember hearing a bit about that years and years back." He gestured at the screen. "You stepped down what... five, six years ago?"

Ghira sighed. "It was clear my... opinions were not held by the majority of the current leadership of the organization. Once the White Fang stopped using solely peaceful means, I could not in good conscious remain among them."

Tai nodded. "I understand. And I understand that Mister Tuckson is attempting to help other people who also want to get away from the violence safely away from it. I'm happy to help. At the moment, the plan is that Mister Tuckson gets anyone who needs a way out on a ferry to Patch. He'll contact me, and I'll meet them at the ferry, then get them on a boat to Menagerie. Of course, there isn't a whole lot of travel between here and Menagerie... but..."

Ghira looked thoughtful. "I'll see what I can do to help with that. Perhaps I can convince some local businesses to start shipping cargo through one of the seaports in Patch?"

Tai grinned. "That sounds like it could work."

The two men started to strategize, and Blake pulled Ruby back a step so she could whisper to her. "Did you plan all of this?"

Ruby shook her head. "No... but it occurred to me that the best person to go to help faunus get to Menagerie has to be your dad, right?"

Blake chuckled wryly. "You're probably right. It makes me wonder why I didn't contact my dad years ago. I had... I had almost forgotten how good a leader dad was. I was so angry when I left home. I should have given dad more credit."

Tai's voice came over the screen, a bit louder. "Ruby! Ruby Rose, front and center."

Ruby eeped and jumped over to stand in front of the screen. "Yes sir!" She saluted clumsily at her father. "Leader of Team RPBY, ready for orders!"

Tai laughed. "Cut it out you goofball." He shook his head fondly, then smiled at her. "I'm proud of you, Ruby. I'm worried that you can get yourself involved in saving people from terrorists after only a month away from home... but... well, somehow I'm not all that surprised." He nodded toward Ruby's left, where Blake was standing. "I was going to give you the third degree about how you got involved in all of this, but I think I can piece it together for myself at this point. I'm glad you came to me with this, and it was smart to get the Belladonna's involved as well." He pointed at her. "But you've done plenty. Stay out of it from this point on, alright, young lady?"

Ruby pouted. "But Dad, I'm a huntress..."

"In training." Taiyang said firmly. "And that's what you should be doing. Training. You did a good thing here, Ruby, but let us handle things from here, OK?"

Ghira spoke up. "That goes for you too, Blake. Including the part about being proud. You and Ruby may have just saved a lot of lives today, and we won't let your efforts go to waste, but I don't want you getting involved in whatever the White Fang is doing any more."

Blake protested. "But I should...!"

Ghira smiled. "Blake. I appreciate how you must feel, but Taiyang is right. You're in training to be a huntress. That's a noble calling. Complete your training, spend time with your team, make friends. That's what you need to be doing right now. You'll make your mark soon enough, I have no doubt."

Ruby spoke up. "You've got it, Dad! Don't worry, Mister Belladonna, we'll stay safe!" She put a hand on Blake's arm and pulled, forcing the larger girl to come around so that she could meet Blake's confused and angry glare. Making sure her own face was out of sight of the terminal's camera, she gave Blake a slow wink. "We'll stay safe and let our folks handle it, right Blake?"

Blake's eyes widened, then she grinned back at Ruby, and winked back. Taking a deep breath, she put on a disappointed expression and faced the camera again. "I don't like not doing anything, Dad..." She whined.

"You've got plenty on your plate just being at Beacon, I expect." Ghira said with a fond smile. "Now let us handle this."

Blake sighed, pretending to give in. "Alright Dad. I made the mistake of not listening to you once, and I'm still regretting that. I'll stay safe, and keep my team safe, here in Beacon."

Ghira smiled. "Excellent."

Tai spoke up. "Hey, Ghira, let me give you my contact information, and we can continue this discussion later? I'd imagine that you'd like to spend some time catching up with your daughter?"

Kali beamed. "We certainly would, Mister Xaio Long! That's very considerate of you."

Tai and Ghira quickly exchanged information, and Tai turned towards Ruby. "I'm proud of you, kiddo. Give your sister my love, OK? And maybe call me a little more often? I'm all alone in the house and you wouldn't believe how quiet it gets, you know?"

Ruby rolled her eyes. "I'll tell Yang, and I'll call next week, OK dad?"

Tai chuckled. "That's about as much as I can expect, Ruby. I love you."

"I love you too, dad."

Tai signed off, and Kali got closer to the screen, her face now twice the size as the window showing Tai vanished. "So, Blake, tell us about this team of yours! And have you made any friends?"

Blake glanced at Ruby. "Team RPBY. Ruby Rose, Pyrrha Nikos, me, and Yang Xaio Long. Ruby and Yang are sisters, and, well, Pyrrha is..."

Ghira blinked. "Isn't she some sort of famous tournament champion from Mistral?"

Blake nodded. "She is, but she's really sweet, and a little shy, if you can believe it. Unbelievably skilled, of course, but she's really modest about it. We're friends. Our whole team is really close, actually."

Kali beamed. "How wonderful. I'm glad you found yourself on a team with people you could be friends with."

Blake smiled warmly. "I got really lucky, I think. My team is amazing. We're all pretty close with another team in our year, team WNJR. And you'll never guess what the W stands for." Kali and Ghira just blinked, so Blake went on. "Weiss Schnee. She's the team leader of team Winter, and, believe it or not, she's a friend of mine."

Her parents blinked. Ghira looked thoughtful. "I take it this... Weiss isn't of quite the same opinions as her father?"

Blake shrugged. "I get the impression she was raised to hate the faunus. Her father had an impression on her, but I don't think she agrees with his policies. In fact, I know she doesn't. She says that when... if she inherits the company, she plans to make changes, but... that'll be a long time coming, if it ever does."

Ghira sighed. "You know, I knew her grandfather. Nicholas Schnee. He came to Menagerie when I was just a kid, looking for a new mine. He was a powerful man. Charismatic, but his people followed him because he would never ask anyone to go anywhere he wasn't willing to go himself. Old Jacques married into the family, and while I'm sure he's a skilled businessman, he's taken the SDC down paths I don't think Nicholas would have approved of. Maybe this Weiss has more in common with her Grandfather."

Blake smiled slightly. "Weiss is brave. And skilled. She doesn't want to be known only for her family's reputation, but for what she accomplishes herself."

Ghira chuckled. "That does sound more like Nicholas. He had quite the reputation as a hunter himself, back in the day, you know."

Kali chimed in. "It sounds like she's a nice girl. I'd love to meet her."

Blake giggled. "Now that would be something to see. Weiss Schnee meeting my mother." She shook her head. "Maybe we shouldn't invite her to Menagerie though. There might be a riot."

Ghira, however, was looking thoughtful. "I'd be all for it, actually. It's connections like those that change things for the better... without bloodshed." He shook his head. "But you're right. It could be dangerous for Miss Schnee, and I would never forgive myself if I involved one of my daughter's friends in a political game like that."

Blake wrinkled her nose. "I don't know. I made a mistake when I dismissed your ideas father. Just inviting Weiss to Menagerie wouldn't solve anything, but it might be a step in the right direction. And if I know Weiss, doing something positive under her own initiative, in spite of what her father believes... or perhaps especially because of what he does, would be something she'd seriously consider."

Kali spoke up again. "Enough serious talk. How about your classes? Are you having fun? Meet any cute boys?"

Blake flushed. "Classes are... fine. I'm doing well."

Kali raised an eyebrow. "No cute boys?"

Blake rolled her eyes. "I'm not interested in any of the guys at school, mom."

Kali looked curious. "How about cute girls? I don't judge."

Blake flushed. "Mom...!"

Kali's expression morphed into a gleeful one. "Oh! There is someone, isn't there!"

Blake sighed, and promptly threw Ruby under the Bus. "Fine. I'm dating Ruby."

Kali's eyes went wide. "Oh my!" She beamed at Ruby. "She's so cute! And team leader!"

Ghira's eyes narrowed. "I don't know if I approve of you dating while you're still so young, Blake..."

Blake's shoulders sagged. "DAD... I'm seventeen. And I'm not the young one here. Ruby is only fifteen." She suddenly blushed as she realized how that sounded. "We're taking things really slow! Nothing's happened!"

Kali was looking at a tomato red Ruby with definite interest. "Fifteen, and already at Beacon? Quite the prodigy!" she winked at her daughter. "Good catch, Blake. I approve!"

Even Ghira was looking thoughtful. "Well, as long as you're taking things slow... Miss Rose does seem very responsible for her age..."

Ruby smiled and waved back weakly. "Thanks?"

Blake spoke up. "We're just kind of testing the waters right now. Seeing if we get along. We were just on our second date yesterday."

Kali beamed. "Wonderful. Wonderful. Blake, you should invite your girlfriend to come to Menagerie during the summer break. We'd love to meet her in person, show her around the island."

Ghira spoke up, looking cheerful. "Bring your whole team. We'd love to have them."

Blake hesitated. "We'll see how things go, but I'll ask them, OK?"

Ruby took in a deep breath, then smiled and waved. "I'm going to excuse myself." She told them. "I'm sure you all have a lot of catching up to do, what with not having talked in five years! I'll see you back at our room, Blake!" The Belladonna's had a lot of catching up to do, and Ruby's presence would just get in the way.

Blake hesitated, then nodded. "Yes Ruby... and... thanks. I know I was mad earlier, but... thanks. I'm glad you called my folks." She gave Ruby a tiny glare. "Just... try and give me a warning next time you spring something like this on me. I nearly had a heart attack."

Ruby chuckled. "What? And spoil the surprise?" Ruby walked off, hearing Kali laughing merrily in the background.

"Oh, I LIKE her." Was the last thing Ruby heard before she got out of earshot.

/-/

Ruby sat alone in the dorm room, thinking. Things had rapidly spiraled out of control once she'd started making changes to the timeline. She'd never gone to her father for help, she'd never even known who Blake's parents were in the previous timeline, but now her father and Blake's parents were talking to each other, and planning on helping out with the problem of the White Fang. Ruby didn't know how much their actions might change, but she was certain those changes would not be minor ones.

"Will Torchwick still raid the docks? Will the White Fang still use the same plan for Mountain Glenn?" Ruby wondered. "Dad and Blake's parents aren't going to be able to stop the White Fang entirely, they're just helping get refuges out of town, right?" She wrinkled her nose. "Unless maybe someone dad helps save knows something important and they DO manage to stop the White Fang early?"

She groaned. "Time travel is tricky. What do I do if everything I know is changed? I mean, I guess it's good if the White Fang get stopped early, right? Less shops get robbed, less people get hurt. The attack on Beacon can't happen if the White Fang gets taken care of earlier, right? I just... have to figure out how to stop Cinder Fall. She'll still be coming to Beacon, so at least I'll know where to keep an eye on her. And I bet she'll still attack the CCT during the dance. It is kind of a perfect chance to do something like that. So that probably won't change, at least."

Ruby took a deep breath. "Well, all I can do is wait and see, I guess. Things are changing for the better, I'm sure of it. I'll save Vale and Penny and Pyrrha and everyone. I'm sure of it."

/-/

Blake came in a few minutes later, and she sat down on her own bed, looking tired and a bit dazed.

"Did your talk with your folks go well?" Ruby asked quietly.

"Yeah." Blake said with a small smile. "We had a lot to catch up on. There was a lot I didn't tell them about. A lot I don't want to talk about with anyone, I guess... but it was really good to see them again. We talked about home for a bit, and about stuff from before I left. Mom had a lot of questions about school, and about you..." Blake's cheeks turned pink, as did Ruby's in response.

"So, I'm your girlfriend?" Ruby asked.

Blake shrugged. "Do you want to be?"

Ruby hesitated. "Yes. But..."

Blake nodded. "You have your date with Pyrrha next week. It's only fair to give her a chance as well, right?"

Ruby hung her head. "I feel like I'm doing this wrong. Like I'm leading you on or something."

Blake shook her head. "Pyrrha and I did both confess to you the same day. You're handling that better than I would have."

Ruby smiled at her. "I'm sure you'd have handled it fine."

Blake rolled her eyes. "I'd have run away and hid."

Ruby blinked. "That's exactly what I did at first."

Blake snorted. "I'd have hid better."

Ruby thought about that, then nodded. "Yeah. I knew Yang would find me sooner or later. I just needed a little while to calm down." She grinned at Blake. "Plus, you're way sneakier than I am."

Blake raised an eyebrow. "I'm not sure that's a complement."

Ruby grinned back at her. "It totally is. You're my cat-ninja girlfriend. The best kind of ninja."

Blake raised an eyebrow. "OK...?"

Ruby grinned at her. "Anyway, we're going out to Vale again tomorrow?"

Blake nodded. "Sure... although I'm not sure how Pyrrha will take that. I mean, we're both supposed to get one date with you, and you're kind of making it two in a row with me..."

Ruby wrinkled her nose. "I'll go out with Pyrrha on Saturday and Sunday next week to make up for it." She decided.

Blake raised an eyebrow, then nodded. "Sounds fair. Does that mean I get two days with your sister as well?"

Ruby shrugged. "That's up to you and Yang. I'm sure you'll have fun with Yang though. She's lots of fun."

Blake grinned. "I did kind of get that impression about Yang, although I'm not sure her kind of fun and my kind of fun are the same."

Ruby shrugged. "That's why you date, right? To find that stuff out."

Blake nodded. "True. Guess we'll see."

/-/

It was almost an hour later when Pyrrha and Yang made it back to the dorm. The two of them came in, laughing and obviously in a good mood.

"How'd your date go?" Ruby asked Yang immediately, smiling impishly.

"We had a blast, right Pyrrha?" Yang said with a thumb's up.

Pyrrha smiled back. "We did indeed. Quite the memorable night."

Yang raised an eyebrow as she turned to Ruby. "So, how'd things go with our Kitten, little sis?"

Ruby shrugged. "Oh, you know, went out shopping, got some tea, formed an organization to sneak faunus looking for sanctuary from the White Fang out of Vale and smuggling them to Menagerie." She grinned impishly. "You know, same old, same old..."

Yang opened her mouth, closed it, then looked helplessly at Blake.

Blake grinned and shrugged. "Other than that, it was a pretty quiet night."

Ruby looked thoughtful. "Oh, and Blake's parents invited our team to Menagerie for Summer break."

"And I kind of mentioned that Ruby and I are dating..." Blake admitted, looking a bit sheepish.

"And Dad says hi." Ruby mentioned. Yang and Pyrrha both blinked.

"Are they kidding?" Pyrrha whispered to Yang.

Yang looked worried. "For once, I can't actually tell..."

/-/

Over the next half hour or so, the four girls talked about their days out together, with many pauses for explanations and clarifications.

"So, Blake and I are going back out to Vale tomorrow..." Ruby concluded at one point. "Blake still wants to buy me a book, and I thought I'd take her to an arcade."

"An arcade?" Blake asked curiously.

Ruby nodded. "It'll be fun."

Blake shrugged. "Sure. I'm game."

Ruby glanced at Pyrrha nervously. "You can have an extra day with me next weekend too, Pyrrha."

Pyrrha nodded easily. "That's fine. I won't complain about getting a second day with you in a row, Ruby, and by the same token, I don't begrudge Blake a little extra time. It sounds like much of your day was spent doing much more serious things, in any event, so I certainly understand you wanting some more time to just relax."

Blake smiled gratefully at the Mistral native. "I appreciate that, Pyrrha."

Pyrrha glanced to Yang. "I'm glad that you suggested that Yang take Blake and I out as well, Ruby. I enjoyed myself, and I'm glad I got the chance to learn a little bit more about your sister."

"The dancing was fun too." Yang said with a grin.

"Very much so." Pyrrha agreed easily.

The four girls chatted a bit more about other topics before turning in for the night.

/-/

The next morning, they had breakfast together before Ruby and Blake set out for Vale.

Yang watched her sister go, then turned to Pyrrha. "So, want to hang out today?"

Pyrrha blinked. "Hang out and do what?"

Yang shrugged. "You know, just hang. Do whatever. We could play some video games, maybe? I've got some co-op games on my scroll and we can project a screen up on the wall."

Pyrrha looked dubious. "I have never really spent much time playing video games. I doubt I'll be very good."

Yang grinned at her. "It's not a competition..." she chuckled. "OK, sometimes it's a competition, but it doesn't matter if you're good or not. The point is to have fun."

Pyrrha nodded. "Very well. What shall we play first?"

/-/

"You've never been to an arcade before?" Ruby was incredulous.

"Well, not NEVER." Blake admitted. "It's just been a really long time. There wasn't a lot of time for that when I was a kid, what with all the Rallies and training, and Menagerie doesn't have a whole lot of video arcades. And after I left Menagerie..." She trailed off.

Ruby blew out a breath, then grinned at her. "Well, then you're in for a treat. I'll show you all the best games. Come on."

Ruby took Blake from machine to machine, explaining the games, and Blake stopped her at a dancing game, which Ruby had been trying to avoid. "What about this one?" Blake asked curiously.

Ruby blanched. "Dance Prance Evolution..." She explained. "It's a dancing game. You watch the screen and try to hit the right arrows when they come down, and I guess you try to dance?"

Blake looked interested. "Can we try this one? It looks like fun."

Ruby blew out a sigh. "Sure!" She said brightly. "Let's try it."

Ruby could NOT dance. She gave it her all, but balance and coordination were not her strong suites. She was fast... but that was more her semblance than skill at moving her feet. If she'd been allowed to press the buttons with Crescent Rose, she might have been able to wrack up a decent score, but as it was, the game gave off a loud disappointed buzz noise before the first song was halfway finished, and Ruby sagged in defeat.

Next to her, however, Blake was still hanging in there. Ruby stepped slowly off the dance pad so she could watch Blake better. Blake's score wasn't very high yet, and Ruby watched her make a mistake, then another, but she was hitting more arrows than she missed, and as Ruby watched, she could see Blake steadily improving.

Blake made it to the end of the song with a respectable 84% completion rate, and Ruby clapped appreciatively.

Blake was grinning. "That was fun! Can we do it again?"

Ruby's face fell slightly, then she forced a smile. "Sure!"

On her second run through, Ruby did better. Blake, on the other hand, barely made any mistakes to start with, and before long she was hitting every arrow flawlessly.

Ruby made it three fourths of the way through the song before being eliminated, but by that time Blake was performing flawlessly, her eyes glued to the screen with razor sharp focus. Blake actually started to pull off dance moves as the song continued, spinning and twisting and switching feet like a pro. Ruby watched breathlessly as her cat faunus teammate dominated the machine, racking up an extremely impressive score.

Blake hopped off, panting slightly and grinning when the game finished, and Ruby smiled at her. "You were great, Blake!"

Blake smiled happily, then glanced at Ruby's score, and winced. "Heh... beginner's luck?"

Ruby laughed. "I've never been very good at this game. But that's OK. You're having fun, right?"

Blake nodded. "Yeah. Want to show me one of your favorites?"

Ruby beamed. "Yeah! Come on!"

To no surprise, Ruby liked the fighting games, and she was good at them too. Blake got trounced solidly four or five times before Ruby suggested they change to something else. They tried a shooting game where they were supposedly traveling through time fighting, of all things, zombies, and in this they were much more evenly matched. Then a driving game at which they were both terrible, and then they just started going around the arcade, trying out everything at least once.

It was silly. The arcade was noisy, and the games weren't anything special, but Blake found herself enjoying herself. Ruby's enthusiasm was infectious, and Blake couldn't remember the last time she'd just... played. Since she was young, she'd been more focused on the White Fang. On fighting for faunus rights, then on playing as a child. She'd played when she was small. She could remember her mother setting up play dates for her, taking her to parks, or playing games with her at their home, but they'd been on the road a lot with her father acting as the White Fang's leader, and later, when she'd left her parents behind, she'd had to grow up so very quickly.

For a moment, a sense of guilt wracked her. Why should she be playing and having fun, going on dates and enjoying herself, while her people were still oppressed? While this very moment, the White Fang were being corrupted by Roman Torchwick and whatever plan he and his mysterious backers, assuming Tuckson was correct about Roman not being the real person in charge, had in mind.

But her parents had told her to focus on being a student. And her mother had made her promise to have fun with her friends, to spend time with her girlfriend... Blake still couldn't believe she'd actually told her parents about that, and to be happy. Was it really her responsibility to deal with all the evils of the world?

She glanced at Ruby, the smaller girl's face aglow as she piloted some sort of alien spaceship while blowing up more aliens in some loud and colorful top down shooter of some sort. Ruby was dedicated. Towards being a huntress, towards helping anyone she saw in need. But that didn't keep Ruby from being a child who liked to have fun. Would it be so wrong to relax a little, and make her girlfriend happy? To have fun herself?

Blake sighed and did her best to push her doubts out of her mind for the moment, and just enjoy herself.

After several enjoyable hours at the arcade, Blake led Ruby back to Tuckson's book store.

"Do you know what you want?" Blake asked quietly as they entered.

"Yup. If they have it." Ruby said cheerfully. "And Tuckson has every book under the sun, right?"

Tuckson, behind the counter this time, chuckled. "It's just a catchphrase." He admitted modestly. "Hey you two. Good to see you again."

Ruby grinned and jogged up to the counter. "Do you have the first book of the Celgariaid?"

Tuckson blinked. "I think so, let me check in back." The man went into the back of his shop and after a couple minutes, came out with the book in question. "Got the whole series, in fact." He said with a grin. "Good read."

Ruby nodded happily. "I know, right?" She turned to Blake. "Have you ever read them?"

Blake shook her head. "No... what's it about?"

Ruby looked thoughtful. "Well, it's about a boy, who thinks he's ordinary. He's born on a farm, and he's an orphan, raised by his aunt... and then this mysterious traveling storyteller shows up, and takes him on an adventure, and he slowly starts to figure out that he's not actually all that ordinary at all..." Ruby grinned. "But I don't want to spoil it. Buy it for me?"

Blake grinned back. "Sure."

Tuckson just handed Ruby the book with a smile. "On the house. And come by anytime, Ruby." He nodded at Blake. "I talked to your parents this morning. Got some good news. Things are looking up."

Blake smiled back. "That's good to hear. If you need any help here in town though..."

Ruby spoke up at that point. "Call Blake or me. We'll come running with the whole team if you need help."

Tuckson considered that. "Well, hopefully I won't need the help, but I'll keep it in mind, thanks. Guess it couldn't hurt to have a team of huntresses on standby, even if they're still in training."

Ruby threw him a thumb's up. "Hey, I already beat Torchwick once, and I'm not even the strongest person on our team. So don't hesitate if there's trouble."

Blake looked at Ruby, considering, then back to Tuckson. "Maybe don't mention this to our folks, though."

Tuckson raised an eyebrow. "Huh. Do I really want to piss off the Chieftain of Menagerie?"

Blake shrugged. "Probably not. But he'll forgive you, and he can't get to your shop in half an hour. We can. If you get in real trouble, call."

Ruby nodded firmly. "Right."

Tuckson smiled faintly. "Well, I have your scroll number, Blake. If it's something you can help with, I'll remember."

They left with Ruby's book a bit later. "So, one of your favorites?" Blake asked curiously.

Ruby nodded. "Although I've never actually owned a copy. I've gotten it out from the library a few times though."

Blake nodded back, and they walked together in the general direction of Beacon. "So... do you have any other plans for today?"

Ruby blushed slightly. "Well, I thought you could... if you wanted... you could read it to me?"

Blake blinked. "You want me to read your book to you?"

Ruby blushed a bit brighter. "Yes? If that's OK?"

Blake considered that. "Sure. We can do that. Back in our room?"

Ruby nodded. "Yeah."

Blake smiled softly. "OK. Let's do that then."

/-/

When they got back to the dorm room, they found Pyrrha playing an RPG on Yang's scroll while Yang watched, giving advice and kibitzing.

Yang looked up at Blake and Ruby as they came in, smiling when she spotted her sister. "Have fun at the Arcade?"

Ruby nodded happily, and babbled on cheerfully for awhile, talking about their day out while Yang and Pyrrha, who had stopped playing, listened.

"That sounds like fun." Pyrrha admitted with a smile. "Would you like to go to the arcade with me next Saturday?"

Ruby considered that. "If you think you'll have fun?"

Pyrrha nodded, smiling.

Yang spoke up. "So, all done with your date then?"

Ruby pulled her new book out to show Yang. "Blake was going to read to me tonight."

Yang took a closer look, then grinned. "Hey, that's a good one."

Pyrrha looked interested. "Blake is going to read to you?"

Blake was blushing slightly. "Well, Ruby asked if I would..."

Yang stretched and got up. "Want Pyrrha and me to clear out for an hour or two?"

Ruby hesitated, looking at Blake.

Blake frowned. "I don't want to kick you out of the room... but..."

Yang shrugged. "Eh, it's cool. You'll return the favor at some point, right?"

Pyrrha stood as well, glancing curiously at Yang. "Do you have anything in mind?"

Yang looked at her. "Well, want to hit the weight room for awhile? Maybe some sparring after?"

Pyrrha nodded thoughtfully. "Sure."

As the two more athletic members of team RPBY got ready to go, Blake shuffled around the room nervously, only speaking after Pyrrha and Yang had swept out of the room in their workout attire. "My mother used to read to me when I was a child." She told Ruby quietly.

Ruby nodded. "Yang read to me. Stories about heroes and monsters. Those stories are a big reason I wanted to become a huntress."

Blake smiled sadly. "I'm sorry..."

Ruby inclined her head to one side. "Why?"

Blake shook her head. "I just... you never got to have your mother read to you."

Ruby smiled sadly. "I was very young when she died. I barely remember her. Yang used to tell me about her, and she was always there for me when Summer couldn't be. I think it was harder on her. You can't miss what you can't remember, and Yang lost not just one, but two moms. Then she had to be mom to me."

Blake smiled. "Yang seems like a really wonderful big sister."

Ruby nodded earnestly. "She's the best."

Blake sat on her bed, holding the book. "So, how do you want to do this?"

Ruby looked at her, then moved over to sit beside her. "Well, first we get comfortable."

Blake hesitated, then slid back on her bed, reaching around behind her to prop up some pillows so that she could lean up against the back of the bed comfortably.

Ruby crawled over and around her, to the empty space on her left. "Can I sit here?"

Blake nodded slowly. "Sure, if you want."

Ruby slowly moved into position on her hands and knees, then turned and sat back against Blake's headboard as well, leaning into Blake's side slightly. "Is this OK?"

Blake had frozen as Ruby's body fell lightly against her, and she nodded shakily. "Yes... yes, that's fine." She opened the book. "How far should I read?"

Ruby chuckled. "As far as you like. Yang used to read one chapter each night. You could do that."

Blake nodded and paged through to the first chapter. "OK, here goes. Prologue. Being a History of the War of the Gods and the Acts of..."

Ruby settled in against Blake a bit more as Blake read, and Blake had to fight to keep from giggling. She did NOT giggle. It had just been so long since anyone had been so close to her. The feeling of a warm body pressed against her own generated sharp emotions. Joy. She was practically shaking with the effort to suppress the sheer happiness she was feeling. But there was more. Regret. Ruby's weight against her brought back memories of those she had loved. Adam... they'd never read a book together like this, but they'd been intimate. His touch, his weight, was like a shadow brought out of the darkness by Ruby's presence. But slowly but surely, that shadow faded. She could vaguely remember the touch, the smell of her mother, reading to her at night, often by candlelight. Or was that a lantern? She couldn't quite remember.

Blake felt a soft touch on her left arm and her whole body jolted.

Ruby pulled her hand away as if she'd been burnt. "Sorry!"

Blake took a deep breath and shook her head. "No, it's fine. I'm just a bit jumpy, that's all."

Ruby nodded slowly. "So, it's OK?" Blake glanced down to where Ruby had a hand held out as if she wanted to touch Blake's arm again. Blake nodded.

Ruby put her hand on Blake's arm and stroked her fingers lightly across the bare skin. Blake shivered but didn't pull away.

Ruby looked curious. "Weren't you going to read?" She asked innocently.

Blake swallowed and nodded, then went back to the book. "Cruel winter gripped the Northland, and the moors glittered beneath the stars..."

Ruby continued to lightly stroke her bare upper arm, causing shivers to run through Blake's body, but Blake swallowed and kept reading, not wanting to do anything that would cause Ruby to stop what she was doing. Why is this so intense? She wondered. Ruby's just stroking my shoulder. But she couldn't deny that the smaller girl's fingers were incredibly distracting. She had to pause and reread a word several times as the small girl's touch jerked her away from her attention on the novel.

"Hey." Ruby said softly when Blake had reached the end of a page. "Sit on the side of the bed for awhile."

Blake blinked, but didn't ask any questions, simply shifting so that her legs dangled off the edge of her bed, then opened the book to start reading again. As she did so, however, Ruby moved up behind her, sitting sideways on the bed, Ruby placed both of her small hands on Blake's shoulders, causing Blake to stiffen and shudder.

"You OK?" Ruby asked worriedly.

"Um hmm." Blake murmured, then swallowed, and attempted to read further. As she read, Ruby started to run her hands gently up and down Blake's shoulders, then inward to her back, where she started to give Blake a gentle back massage.

Blake fought to keep reading, but when Ruby's hands reached the small of her back she let out an involuntary moan of pleasure. Ruby giggled, and Blake's face flushed.

"Did you like that?" Ruby asked innocently. Blake, face flaming, only nodded. Ruby chuckled. "Well, if you want backrubs, you gotta read, OK?"

Blake's eyes shot back down to the book like lightning, and she picked up where she left off immediately. Ruby's hands were sweet, sweet torture, but Blake forced herself to read on, and to not start purring at the bottom of her throat like some common house cat.

Blake reached the end of the prologue with a mix of disappointment and relief. "That's the end of the prologue..." She said, glancing over her shoulder at Ruby. "Should I... should I go on to chapter one?"

Ruby's hands paused where they had been kneading her shoulders and she shrugged. "Only if you want to keep going."

Blake nodded quickly and dove into the next chapter. She'd do a lot more than read what was turning out to be a rather interesting book in order to get Ruby to keep massaging her back. She was in heaven. She was about halfway through chapter one when Ruby groaned lightly.

"I'm getting a cramp, sitting sideways behind you like this. Go sit back against the headboard again." Ruby instructed.

Blake nodded silently, trying not to look disappointed, and found herself confused when instead of snuggling up against her side again, Ruby went to sit on the side of the bed herself, close enough that Blake had to pull her feet up towards her chest to avoid kicking the smaller girl.

Ruby patted her lap. "Put your feet up here, I'll give you a foot massage."

Blake's eyes widened, and she tentatively slipped her feet into Ruby's lap. Ruby ran her fingers over Blake's stocking covered feet, pressing her thumbs lightly against her soles, and Blake practically melted, but Ruby was frowning slightly.

"Help me get your stockings off." Ruby said authoritatively. Blake swallowed but nodded and obediently shifted her position so she could roll her long stockings down her legs till they were below her knees. Ruby then helpfully rolled them down to her ankles and eased her stockings off one at a time. Ruby hummed appreciatively and started to massage Blake's feet, causing Blake's eyes to nearly roll up into her head.

Ruby gave an annoyed sound and Blake looked at her, realizing belatedly that she'd been sitting, feet in Ruby's lap, eyes closed and... she realized with a mighty blush, she'd been purring for... minutes already now?

Ruby raised an eyebrow. "You remember the rule, right?"

Blake swallowed. "If I read, I get foot massages?"

Ruby grinned. "Yup."

Blake nodded quickly and focused on the story again. She finished chapter one, and was swiftly turning toward chapter two when Ruby rolled her shoulders, giving a sigh. "My hands are getting kind of tired, Blake..." She admitted, sounding a bit sad about it.

Blake sighed as well, then smiled. "That's OK. I can keep reading anyway. I really liked the massage, Ruby."

Ruby wrinkled her nose. "Want to switch?"

Blake blinked. "Huh?"

Ruby pointed at the book. "Well, I could read the next chapter...?"

Blake raised an eyebrow. "And you'd like a massage while you do it?"

Ruby giggled. "Yes I would."

Blake smiled and nodded. "It'd be my pleasure."

Blake pulled her feet back so that Ruby could move, and Ruby got up quickly and headed for her dresser, then rummaged around for her pajamas.

"What are you doing?" Blake asked curiously as Ruby pulled her usual loose tank top and pajama bottoms out and headed for the bathroom.

"Changing into my pajamas. You can hardly give me a good massage through my corset, can you?"

Blake blinked, then had to acknowledge the point. Ruby came out a minute later and sat on the side of Blake's bed, taking the book and finding her place, while Blake tentatively slid in behind Ruby to put her hands on the smaller girl's back. Ruby sighed happily as Blake's fingers came to rest on her bare shoulders, and then started to read.

Blake started to gently run her fingers up and down Ruby's shoulders, then up to her neck, causing Ruby to arch her shoulders slightly in pleasure, then down her back. Then she froze as her fingers ran uninterrupted down, massaging through the thin top Ruby was wearing, she suddenly realized that Ruby wasn't wearing a bra.

It was a simple thing. Ruby wasn't terribly well endowed, of course, and there was nothing unusual about wearing only a shirt to bed. Or at least that's what Blake's brain was trying to tell her, but she blushed deeper and deeper, her fingers still frozen in place.

Ruby stopped reading, then glanced over her shoulder curiously. "What's up, Blake? Something the matter?"

Blake swallowed. "No... everything's fine." She lied. Or at least she thought it was a lie. She felt like a huge pervert. A letch. An older woman taking advantage. She shouldn't be touching her fifteen year old partner like this, separated by only a single thin layer of fabric. Slowly, she forced her fingers to keep going, rubbing Ruby's back through the thin shirt and doing her best to ignore the competing instincts warring inside of her. This was just a backrub. Between friends. Ruby didn't mean to imply anything by it. It was fine. It was MORE than fine, and Blake was finding it hard to listen to the story, so fascinated was she by the feel of the small, firm muscles under her hands. Ruby was small, and younger than she, but she was wiry and surprisingly muscled for someone so small. It made sense, the way she flung her huge scythe around constantly in battle. Blake idly wondered if Ruby could actually be physically stronger than she was. Yang certainly was. Yang was enormously strong. Pound for pound, only Nora matched her, but Ruby was surprisingly powerful for her size. Blake relied more on speed and agility than strength, but Ruby's enormous weapon had to take a lot of strength the way Ruby used it.

As Ruby continued to read, Blake was struck by a sudden, irrational desire to lift the back of Ruby's shirt so that she could touch those muscles directly. Swallowing, she diverted her attention elsewhere, running her hands up to Ruby's shoulders again, then to her neck. She knew that there was no way that she should pull up Ruby's shirt. That was way beyond whatever invisible line that signaled the difference between what was appropriate and what was not. But as Ruby read on, pausing occasionally to twitch or shiver under Blake's hands, the stupid irrational part of her brain kept causing her eyes, and fingers, to rest at the bottom edge of the thin, loose tank top. There was a small line of bare skin at Ruby's waist where the tank top didn't quite cover, and Blake's fingers swept closer and closer to that line as Ruby read on. Ruby didn't react overtly, continuing to read as if oblivious to the war going on inside of Blake's head.

Finally, daringly, Blake's fingers reached the bottom of Ruby's shirt, and she traced the bare skin just above Ruby's waist with gentle fingers. Ruby shivered, but kept reading. Swallowing hard, Blake ran her hands along the back of Ruby's waist, teasing the bare skin there with light strokes of her fingers, and very, very slowly, she slipped her fingers up the back of Ruby's shirt, just a bare inch, but it caused Ruby to freeze, going silent.

Just then, the door banged open, Yang coming in with a cheerful grin on her face, throwing her arms wide as she entered, Pyrrha close on her heels. Blake noted distractedly that both women were sweaty and tired looking, but at the same time they looked cheerful, pleased with a good workout, no doubt.

"NOTHING!" Ruby screeched. "We weren't doing anything!"

Blake jerked her hands away from Ruby's back like the younger girl had suddenly caught fire, eyes darting toward the elder sister in sudden fear. What would Yang do if she knew how close Blake had come to... Blake wasn't even quite sure what it was she'd been about to do, but it'd been something.

Yang's grin, something content and happy, probably at a good workout, slowly morphed into surprise, then got even wider as the tall blond's eyes started to glint with something evil. "I see." She said slowly, licking her lips as if in anticipation. "Would you like Pyrrha and I to go for a nice long walk so you two can finish up doing 'nothing'? Me, I always get cranky when I get interrupted in the middle of nothing..."

Yang ducked under the assault as both Ruby and Blake peppered her with pillows.

* * *

**Author's Note: The pillows are back, baby! Heh. Anyway, Ruby keeps changing things farther and farther, and things are getting a bit heated between the girls here.**

**Not going anywhere explicit, but we'll get a bit more fluffy stuff as we go along. There is quite a long break before Ruby's plan to stop Cinder at the CCT, so things may stay peaceful for awhile longer yet. We'll see.**


	9. Chapter 9

Yang laughed, ducking and dodging out of the rain of pillows till Ruby and Blake ran out of ammunition. "Must have been something good to get that much of a reaction..." She teased.

Pyrrha's expression was a mix of confusion, concern, and perhaps a bit of hurt under the surface. Blake's eyes met hers, and Pyrrha flushed, looking away.

Blake winced and crossed her arms, not knowing what to say to diffuse the situation.

Yang noticed the tension in the room and hesitated. "Eh, I'm just kidding, you know that." She glanced at Pyrrha, then Blake, then sighed. "Right. I'm going to take a shower, and let you three figure this out."

Ruby growled. "Nothing happened, Yang. Stop teasing us every chance you get!"

Yang glanced over her shoulder at her younger sister. "Sorry... sorry. You know I don't mean any harm."

Ruby grimaced. "Yang..."

Yang paused in the doorway to the bathroom, and sighed, facing her sister. "Sorry Rubes." She nodded to Blake. "Sorry Blake. Too far, I guess?"

Blake frowned, then sighed. "Forget it, Yang. You're right. I do know you don't mean anything by it. She stood, then wrinkled her nose. "Hey, Pyrrha. Can we talk?"

Ruby looked from one of her potential girlfriends to the other, looking worried. "Please don't fight..."

"We won't." Blake assured her immediately. "Right Pyrrha?"

Pyrrha gave the most calm, professional smile she could. "We already promised we wouldn't Ruby. We're just going to talk."

Ruby looked worried, but nodded.

Blake went to the door, and gestured to the hall outside. Pyrrha nodded and went out first, Blake following her, and turned around as Blake shut the door to their dorm room behind them.

"Ruby gave me a backrub. And a foot massage." Blake explained without preamble. "I was returning the favor."

Pyrrha licked her lips nervously. "I see."

Blake looked a bit apologetic. "We never really talked about... well, we kind of did, but..."

Pyrrha blinked, looking a bit confused. "What are you talking about, Blake?"

Blake looked confused herself, then she frowned. "You know, when we talked about boundaries. What would be acceptable between us and Ruby."

Pyrrha blinked again. "Oh. Yes. I remember."

Blake wrinkled her nose. "You said that if I did something... intimate, that you should get to do that too. We were talking about kissing, but..."

Pyrrha nodded slowly. "Yes. I suppose that a backrub would qualify, wouldn't it."

Her tone was a bit flat, and Blake frowned. "I'm not going to apologize... Ruby initiated it, and..."

Pyrrha quickly shook her head. "I wouldn't expect you to apologize. I... I don't feel as if you've done anything wrong. I just..." She sighed. "I am jealous. Amazingly jealous." She looked down at her hands, causing Blake to do the same. Holding her palms upright, both girls watched Pyrrha's hands shaking slightly.

Blake hesitated a moment, then took Pyrrha's hands in her own. "I'm your friend, Pyrrha. I'm sorry that this is hurting you."

Pyrrha shook her head, and was astonished to feel tears in the corners of her eyes. "It was just a backrub. Why am I... why am I crying?"

Blake pulled Pyrrha's hands towards her, then apart, then stepped into the taller girl and put her arms around Pyrrha's back. "Because you're jealous, and worried, and you won't let yourself be angry at me, so all you have left is being sad."

Pyrrha chuckled softly, the tears starting to flow. "Oh, I'm angry at you. I don't WANT to be angry at you, but I am."

"That's fair." Blake muttered. "I probably deserve it."

"Ruby initiated it." Pyrrha said softly. "Right?"

Blake nodded against Pyrrha's shoulder. "Yes. Yes, but I could have said no... or that it was too fast."

Pyrrha shook her head. "It doesn't seem too fast to me. You haven't even kissed her yet..." she hesitated. "Have you?"

"No." Blake said quietly. "I want to."

Pyrrha chuckled. "Obviously."

Blake sighed. "Pyrrha... I nearly took things further. If you and Yang hadn't come in when you had..."

Pyrrha put her own hands on Blake's back. "Why are you telling me this, Blake?"

Blake shook her head. "I don't know. Because you're my friend? Because I feel like I owe you the truth? Because I don't want to lie to you. Because I've lied too much, and it hurts me to lie to people I care about?"

Pyrrha smiled softly. "I appreciate it. Although perhaps you don't have to tell me the details."

Blake swallowed. "It was... just a backrub. I just... I wanted so badly to pull Ruby's shirt up."

Pyrrha blushed crimson. "OH!"

Blake was blushing too. "I just... her back. It's so soft... and with those tight little muscles. I wanted to touch them directly."

Pyrrha swallowed. "Well, I... yes..." She coughed. "Blake, while I do appreciate the honesty, perhaps you could leave out your mental processes when it comes to your attraction to Ruby?"

Blake buried her face in Pyrrha's shoulder. "Sorry! Gods... I'm so messed up."

Pyrrha awkwardly patted Blake's back. "There there..." She said automatically.

Blake choked on a laugh. "Pyrrha... you're not supposed to be comforting me. I'm your rival, remember?"

Pyrrha chuckled lightly. "I think we threw out the rulebook when we agreed to be civilized about this. And... and I truly don't want to ruin our friendship."

Blake swallowed, looking up at Pyrrha's face finally. "Don't you mean the team?"

Pyrrha shook her head. "No, our friendship. I really like you Blake. It makes you being interested in the girl I'm attracted to very confusing... but I do."

Blake chuckled. "Confusing is the right word for it."

Pyrrha sighed. "If we're confessing things, Yang has... caught my attention. The last two days in particular..."

Blake raised an eyebrow. "Oh?" She started to grin. "I see! Hot for both sisters, huh?"

Pyrrha groaned softly, lowering her gaze. "It is ridiculous. I am ridiculous. I am uninterested in romance for my entire life, but in a matter of days I have fallen for not one, but two girls. And sisters."

Blake chuckled. "Could be worse. They could be twins."

Pyrrha rolled her eyes. "Wouldn't that be a cliche."

Blake swallowed, and slowly pulled away from Pyrrha, putting her hands on the larger girl's shoulders for a second before stepping back completely. "So... you should let Ruby give you a backrub. Next week maybe, during your date."

Pyrrha nodded slowly. "If she is interested. I wouldn't want to push her."

Blake chuckled. "I think if you offer to give her one in return, she'll be more than willing."

Pyrrha wrinkled her nose. "Unless she's already chosen you?"

Blake hesitated. "We... we should let Ruby tell us that, I think. You're right, we shouldn't push."

Pyrrha sighed. "I regret so much agreeing to date Ruby second. Not that going out with Yang wasn't..."

Blake looked curious. "So... things are going pretty well between you and Yang?"

Pyrrha grimaced. "Very. We... Yang is very fun... and flirty... and I like it. And she's powerful, and confident, and I like that too."

Blake nodded thoughtfully. "I can see it..." She hesitated. "Maybe you and Yang could...?"

Pyrrha sighed. "It would be easier. And... if I was a better person, I'd call off my date with Ruby and just see how things go with Yang... but..."

Blake raised an eyebrow. "But you still have feelings for Ruby and you want to see where those go?"

Pyrrha sighed. "Yes."

Blake shrugged. "OK." Pyrrha blinked at her, looking surprised, and Blake shook her head. "That's what we're trying to figure out, right? Maybe after you go out with Ruby, it'll clear your head as to what you want, since you'll have some experiences to compare."

Pyrrha sighed. "Perhaps."

Blake winked at her. "Or maybe after our date in two weeks, we'll both fall madly in love with each other and forget all about our partners."

Pyrrha giggled. "Anything is possible, I suppose."

After several long moments of silence, Blake sighed and nodded toward the door. "Let's go back in and... maybe talk to Ruby a bit?"

Pyrrha nodded. "Perhaps we should talk to HER about boundaries? Now that I've had some time to think on the matter, I don't think we should have agreed to anything without her input."

Blake tilted her head. "How so?"

Pyrrha wrinkled her nose. "Well, agreeing that, if you kiss Ruby, I should get to kiss her too... that kind of feels like we're crossing a line. Ruby should get to make those decisions, shouldn't she?"

Blake winced slightly. "OK, yeah, when you put it that way, I get where you're coming from. We can't agree to that sort of thing without her permission."

Pyrrha nodded. "I still think it's... well, not a terrible agreement, we just... we should have told Ruby about it as well."

Blake grimaced. "Wow... that's going to be a really awkward conversation."

Pyrrha sighed. "Very much so. But... I think it's better than making agreements about her behind her back."

Blake sighed. "Can we go back to fighting over her like two normal people?"

Pyrrha chuckled. "That would be less awkward. But to be honest, I prefer feeling awkward to losing a friend. Or more than one."

Blake moaned. "Fine. Yes. OK. I feel the same. I just wish we could be civilized about all this without my feeling like my face is going to spontaneously combust from embarrassment every five minutes." Pyrrha chuckled some more, then reached for the door to their dorm room.

When they entered, they found Ruby pacing back and forth across the room, looking agitated. Yang was sitting on Blake's bed, in her night clothes, toweling off her hair. As they entered, Ruby spun to face them, looking frantic.

"Backrubs are perfectly normal!" She told them earnestly. "I used to give Yang backrubs all the time!" Pyrrha and Blake stared at her, nonplussed, and Ruby went on quickly. "It's totally a thing sisters do. It's not weird or anything!" She gestured to her older sister. "Tell them Yang."

Yang shrugged. "Eh. It's really not that big a deal. I used to give Dad backrubs too, when he got back from work."

Ruby waved her hands at her sister emphatically. "There, see? Totally normal."

Pyrrha blinked. "Well... you're not wrong, Ruby..."

Blake blushed. "I think it's a bit different when you give one to your girlfriend, then to your sister, or a parent, though."

Yang chuckled. "You're not wrong either, Blake."

Ruby shot her older sister a betrayed look. "Yang! I thought you were on my side!"

Yang threw up her hands. "Hey, truth is truth, Rubes. Me giving you a backrub is just... family. It's comforting, like a hug... but giving a girlfriend, or a boyfriend a backrub... that's a whole different bit of terrain."

Ruby swallowed. "Is it?"

Blake looked curious. "Well, if you're saying that you felt the same way giving me a backrub as you do when you give your sister one... then maybe that tells you something?" She smiled, but inside her chest was starting to hurt. She didn't want Ruby to think of her like a sister. She wanted more than that. But she couldn't come out and say it. And maybe it was for the best if Ruby did feel like that about her? It was early days still, it wouldn't hurt so much if Ruby figured that out now. It'd be so much worse if they dragged things out and Ruby didn't feel that way, right?

Ruby opened her mouth, then closed it. She chewed on her lip for nearly a minute. Blake swallowed nervously as hope and dread fought for dominance.

Ruby lowered her eyes. "No... it... it didn't feel like it does with Yang."

Yang's eyes twinkled. "Yeah... I wouldn't think it would."

Ruby started to blush. "I liked it. I like it when Yang gives me a backrub... but I don't get so... nervous and..." She trailed off, going bright red. "It was supposed to just be nice..."

Blake blushed as well. "It WAS nice."

Ruby nodded. "Yeah, but..."

Blake shrugged, smiling. "It was way more than just nice, Ruby. I thought I was going to pass out a couple of times."

Ruby sagged. "Oh my god. I cannot talk about this with my sister in the room!"

Yang snorted and chortled and slapped a hand over her own mouth in order to stop herself from laughing further. She waved her other hand toward Ruby weakly.

"Sorry... sorry..." She snorted again and rolled over on Blake's bed, putting her back to the room and burying her face in the mattress while pounding one fist on the bed next to her head.

Ruby groaned. "I can kill her right? We'll make it look like a training accident."

Blake grinned. "Totally justified."

"I will help you bury the body." Pyrrha assured her with a perfectly straight face.

Yang shot up. "Hey! Low blow P-money!"

Pyrrha raised an eyebrow. "Perhaps if you stopped calling me P-money..."

Yang blinked. "Ah. Don't like it?"

Pyrrha sighed. "I find that I don't. I wasn't sure, but..."

Yang shrugged. "Sure, sure. I'll come up with something better."

Pyrrha smiled. "That would be appreciated." She went to sit on her own bed, then steepled her hands and gazed thoughtfully at Ruby. "Ruby... perhaps...?" She frowned, wrinkled her nose, then shook her head, then focused on the small girl again. "Perhaps this is enough. You obviously share stronger feelings for Blake then simple friendship..."

Ruby frowned. "What are you saying?"

Pyrrha shrugged. "Perhaps our... experiment has gone far enough? You have determined that you have feelings for Blake, have you not?"

Ruby blushed. "Maybe...?"

Pyrrha raised an eyebrow. "I think you do know how you feel for her, Ruby. Please do not feel you have to deny your own feelings in order to spare mine."

Ruby frowned again. "I'm not doing that. OK, yes, Blake... I like Blake. And not like a sister. But I haven't been on a date with you yet. Not just you and me."

Pyrrha nodded slowly. "True, but is that necessary? You've found you are attracted to Blake, is that not enough?"

Ruby grimaced. "I said I'd go out with you both. I don't want to go back on that."

Pyrrha shook her head. "You do not need to do so simply on my account..."

Ruby shook her head. "No. I want to. Yes, I like Blake. And... I'm pretty sure she likes me. But I know you like me too, and we haven't had a chance to figure out how far that goes..."

Pyrrha frowned. "I... are you sure?"

Ruby nodded firmly. "I... I want to have at least one real date with you, Pyrrha. Maybe I'm being selfish, and maybe it's not fair to Blake. But if we don't, we won't know, and we'll always wonder... and maybe it'll be awkward for us to have a date and then break up, and maybe we'll find out that we really, really like each other better than anyone else... and we won't know unless we try, will we?"

Blake nodded. "Pyrrha, I want you to go on that date. Ruby's right. If you don't, you'll always wonder. And... as much as I may want Ruby to myself, I want you two to both figure out who you really want. I want both of you to find the person who will make you the happiest. We've come this far, let's not chicken out now."

Pyrrha sighed. "Well, to quote someone I respect very much, that is about as much self-sacrifice as I can manage. Yes, I'll go out with you next weekend, Ruby."

Ruby beamed. "Cool."

Blake took a deep breath and nodded. "You two have fun. And don't hold back on my account."

Pyrrha looked at Blake curiously. "What about our... agreement?"

Blake chuckled. "Honestly? Forget it. Whatever Ruby's up for is fine with me. Seriously, I won't get mad."

Ruby looked from one girl to the other. "What agreement?"

Pyrrha blushed. "Well, Blake and I had... tentatively agreed to certain... guidelines about... er... intimacy."

Ruby started to turn pink. "Um... you mean kissing and stuff?"

Pyrrha nodded quickly, fighting down her own blush. "Yes. Kissing and stuff. And... well, I believe we have come to the conclusion that we can't make those sorts of decisions for you."

Blake nodded. "You have to choose for yourself, Ruby."

Ruby blinked. "Choose?"

Blake swallowed. "About how much... about how far you're comfortable going. With... er... physical intimacy."

Pyrrha nodded quickly. "Yes. We don't wish to pressure you."

"At all." Blake agreed.

Yang had turned back to face them, her face turning attentive. "Huh." Blake and Pyrrha turned toward Yang, both of them starting to pale. Yang just shrugged. "Nope. You're good."

They both sighed in relief, turning to Ruby, who's bright blush had turned her ears pink and colored even her neck a darker shade. "Oklet'schangethesubjectreallyquickandnevertalkaboutthisagainfortherestofourlives." Ruby blurted out too fast for them to quite make out.

"What?" Pyrrha found herself asking, almost against her will.

"Can we... change the subject?" Ruby asked weakly. Everyone nodded in agreement, and by mutual agreement, everyone started getting ready for bed.

/-/

The next morning, on the way to their first class, Ruby purposely walked next to Blake in order to take her hand. Blake blinked at the contact, but squeezed Ruby's hand on the way to class.

Pyrrha looked thoughtful, glancing at Yang. "Would you like to...?" she said, holding out a hand tentatively to the buxom blond brawler.

Yang blinked. "Huh." She grinned, and took Pyrrha's hand. "Sure."

From the outside, there didn't seem to be much change in their dynamic. The four girls had been close from the first week, and had made a point of sitting as a group or in pairs during classes since the very beginning. At lunch, they sat as a group just as they always had. But if you paid close attention, there were hints that things were changing.

Blake wondered, as they ate lunch with team WNJR, if any of their friends had noticed the differences yet, or if they would guess the truth about what was going on between the members of team RPBY. Surprisingly, it didn't seem as if anyone had.

"I have managed to procure a high quality lightning dust crystal for Magnhild, Ruby." Weiss said calmly, looking mildly pleased with herself. "I believe you were interested in helping with the modifications?"

Ruby beamed, turning to Weiss with interest. "Oh yeah! I drew up a couple different blueprints that could do the trick." She looked at Nora. "Want me to come over to your dorm after classes so we can go over options?"

Nora grinned. "Sounds like a plan. I can't WAIT to try her out once we get her finished." She enthused. "This is going to be awesome."

"Oh yeah it is." Ruby agreed.

/-/

When Ruby got back from team WNJR's dorm later that evening, she was smiling ear to ear. "Oh, this is going to be so cool."

"No Rubes, tell us how you really feel." Yang joked.

Unable, or unwilling to discern any possible sarcasm, Ruby complied eagerly. "Nora, Weiss and I have figured out which design we're going to use, and Weiss is getting the extra parts we need. We should be ready to get to work on it by this time next week. Nora is going to kick so much ass!"

Yang chuckled. "Well, that's awesome, sis. So, any good ideas for the rest of us?"

Ruby frowned. "Well, making Ember Celica better is pretty hard, Yang. It already suits your fighting style so well, and there isn't really room for any major improvements. The only thing I could think of for you is making them bigger... maybe upgrading them to grenade launchers, and giving you some extra body armor? With your strength you could handle the weight."

Yang wrinkled her nose. "Maybe, but all that weight would slow me down some, right?"

Ruby nodded. "It'd be a trade off. Magnhild should be relatively easy to upgrade, and with Nora's semblance, it should give her a big power up. But as for the rest of us..."

She pointed at Pyrrha. "Actually, I was thinking about your weapons. Have you thought about using some weapons that are specialized for use with your semblance? Because right now, while you're pretty much unstoppable against humans with metal weapons, you don't have as much stopping power against Grimm."

Pyrrha, who'd been laying back on her bunk, reading a history textbook, looked up. "I suppose that's true, Ruby. But what did you have in mind?"

Ruby grinned. "How about limpet mines!"

Pyrrha blinked. "Er... what?"

Ruby shrugged. "Well, you can use your semblance to move metal objects, right? Couldn't you float a mine over to a Grimm and stick it to them?"

Pyrrha blinked again. "Probably?"

Ruby grinned. "So if you carry a few metal mines with some adhesive, you could attach them to any really big Grimm we encounter without having to get really close. Right?"

Pyrrha blinked. "Do you think it's likely we'll encounter many Grimm that large?"

Ruby thought about the Grimm Wyvern, and about the Atlas Paladins they'd had to face on the final day of her previous timeline. "Well, we already fought that huge Nevermore. And that's not the only type of really big Grimm. I'm not saying you'd use them for every fight, but... it's good to have contingencies."

Pyrrha looked thoughtful. "Well, I can't argue that, although I'm not sure how safe it would be carrying heavy explosives around with me all the time."

Ruby's face fell. "Oh yeah. I hadn't considered that."

Pyrrha smiled gently. "I'll keep it in mind though. I can see the use. Certainly, if we are assigned a mission where we're likely to encounter larger than average Grimm. Perhaps we could prepare a few for such an occasion? I could leave them in my weapon locker where they'd be safe, and summon them in case they're needed."

Ruby's smile brightened again. "That's a good idea!"

Blake looked curious. "Got any ideas for me, Ruby?"

Ruby blushed. "Er... actually, I thought both you and Ren could use some Limpet mines too. Ones with timers. You're so agile, you could slap one on a Grimm, then get clear and BOOM!"

Blake blinked. "Er... huh." She looked thoughtful. "Actually, yeah. Gambol Shroud isn't really high on damage output. Ren's pistols are pretty low caliber as well. Some pinpoint explosives could be useful for emergencies. I could have taken out that Nevermore with one pretty easily."

Yang was chuckling. "Is high explosives your answer for everything, Ruby?"

Ruby pouted. "No..." Her face cleared. "Actually, yeah, Pyrrha! I've got some other ideas too! Maybe a bunch of knives... with a high ferrous content. All streamlined and stuff without normal handles so that they'd weigh less and your opponent wouldn't be able to use them against you! You could fly them around..." She made flying motions with her hands. "All zoom, and whoosh, and... phwaa..." She made a pushing gesture. "Like, throw a bunch of them all at once from all different angles so people couldn't block them all."

Pyrrha blinked. "Well... that does sound effective, but wouldn't that reveal my semblance to everyone who saw me do that?"

Ruby frowned. "Oh yeah. I guess we should save that one."

Pyrrha chuckled. "Yes, perhaps if my semblance ever becomes well known, I could start using it more in combat. It does sound like an effective idea."

Ruby nodded with a smile, but inwardly, she was sighing. Cinder Fall found out about Pyrrha's semblance, and used that against her to kill Penny. Ruby thought with a sigh. Pyrrha holding back with her Semblance might be the difference between her beating Cinder and losing to her. But how do I convince Pyrrha to stop holding back?

Ruby didn't have an answer and she had trouble falling asleep that night.

The next day went by in a similar fashion. They had reserved an empty combat room for team training again, and they worked on a mix of different things, unarmed combat for Ruby and Weiss, led by Pyrrha, and team tactics with Blake, Yang, Jack, Ren and Nora. Blake and Yang were practicing some of the combo moves that Ruby had suggested that they try out, while Jack, Ren and Nora were figuring out different team attacks they could do in pairs or as a group. Pyrrha took Ruby and Weiss through some katas, gave them advice on their stances on on proper form for some kicks, then had them spar. Ruby was doing a lot better than she had been at first, and was able to use her semblance in combination with her unarmed attacks a lot more effectively than before. Weiss hadn't lost any ground with using her glyphs, but Ruby was able to out-maneuver her seven times out of ten in their spars to land telling blows. Ruby started using her semblance to add momentum to some of her attacks, and even Pyrrha was starting to have a little trouble keeping up with the small girl at her full speed.

They broke up to go to their separate dorms after a very productive session, and Yang jumped at the chance to grab the first shower, and the other three girls worked on their homework while waiting their turn.

By the time Blake, who had been the last to use the shower, had come out of the bathroom, wearing her Yukata and toweling off her hair, everyone had finished their homework for the following day. Ruby was reading a comic book, and Yang was playing a game on her scroll, but Pyrrha was looking at Blake, her face an odd mix of uncertainty and determination.

"What's up, Pyrrha?" Blake asked, knowing that the Mistralian girl would most likely dither for hours trying to bring up whatever it was she wanted to say, and deciding to help.

Pyrrha licked her lips, glancing from Ruby to Blake. "I was wondering. Could I perhaps... borrow the book you and Ruby were reading to each other?" Blake blinked, then glanced at Ruby, who sat up, looking curious.

"I don't mind, Pyrrha." Ruby said. "I've got it here somewhere..." Ruby hopped down out of her bed and went to one of the bookshelves that were mainly filled with Blake's books, finding the book in question, then handing it to Pyrrha.

Pyrrha accepted the book with a smile, and opened it to the first page. "May I ask, how far you and Blake have gotten so far?"

Ruby nodded to the book. "Blake dog-eared the page. We were in chapter 2, I think?"

Pyrrha smiled and started to read to herself.

Blake went to her own bunk and sat down, pulling the novel she'd been in the middle of reading off her bookshelf and opening up to where she'd left off. She thought about asking why Pyrrha wanted to read the book she and Ruby had been reading to each other, than decided not to bother Pyrrha with the question. If it was important, Pyrrha would mention it. Perhaps she just thought the book sounded interesting, and wanted to read it for herself?

/-/

The next day was a quiet one. Yang got matched up against Weiss in combat class, and won handily, although not without getting tossed around the ring a bit by Weiss's glyphs. Weiss took her loss well enough, and both girls got applause for their performance, and lots of support from their respective teams. Miss Goodwitch was also pleased, telling them that they'd both shown marked improvement since they'd started training under her, and giving some advice to Weiss to work on her counter attacks more.

They got back to their dorms relatively early that night, not having a team training session planned that evening, and Pyrrha picked up the book she'd borrowed from Ruby, paging it open to where she'd left it the previous night, which appeared to be where Blake had marked the page after they'd finished.

Pyrrha licked her lips again, then cleared her throat, looking nervous but determined. "Blake... Ruby, would you like me to read aloud from where you two left off?"

Both Blake and Ruby looked at Pyrrha in surprise.

"Oh." Blake commented. "That's why you wanted to borrow the book. You wanted to catch up with where we were at so you could offer to read to us tonight?"

Pyrrha nodded, blushing lightly.

Ruby grinned. "That sounds great, Pyrrha. Want me to give you a backrub while you read?"

Pyrrha's blush went from light pink to deep red in an instant, but she nodded quickly, and Blake chuckled to herself.

Pyrrha sat on the side of her bed, and Ruby went over to climb into bed behind Pyrrha.

Yang raised an eyebrow, then grinned. "I'll get her feet."

Pyrrha blinked, looking surprised, but didn't resist as the two sisters placed themselves on opposite ends of her, Ruby sitting next to her in the bed so she could reach her back, and Yang sitting on the edge of the bed and propping Pyrrha's feet up on her thighs. With practiced ease, Yang started removing Pyrrha's shoes.

Pyrrha started blushing furiously. "What... what are you doing?" She squeaked, going stiff.

"Well, I can't give you a proper foot massage if you've got your shoes on, Pyrrha." Yang told her matter-of-factly, tossing Pyrrha's shoes one by one on the floor, then reaching up Pyrrha's legs to get a hold of the top of her long stockings. "These should probably come off too." She said, eyes twinkling.

Pyrrha was blushing brightly, looking like she didn't know what to do, and Yang caught her younger sister's eyes, then winked, nodding at Pyrrha.

Ruby blinked in confusion, then grinned in understanding, and then, without warning reached around for the buttons of Pyrrha's school jacket, undoing them and starting to ease the jacket off her shoulders.

Pyrrha froze, eyes wide as saucers as the two sisters started undressing her. Blake gaped in astonishment, then licked her lips, her imagination putting her into Pyrrha's place just long enough for a huge blush to cover her own face.

Ruby finished pulling Pyrrha's jacket off, and tossing the garment to the side of the bed behind her, reached around Pyrrha's front to start undoing the buttons of her vest. Pyrrha went very still as Yang's fingers reached up under her skirt to grab the top of one stocking and start easing it down, her breath coming out in short gasps.

Yang grinned and took her time pulling her stocking down, while Pyrrha remained still, only moving enough to let Ruby finish pulling her vest off. Her eyes were wide and she looked as if she wasn't sure to be frightened or excited. Blake was watching in a mix between jealously and awe at the display.

Yang tossed Pyrrha's stocking to one side and went back up her other leg for the second one, and Pyrrha closed her eyes, giving only a short shiver in response as Yang pulled it down.

Ruby put Pyrrha's vest down on top of her jacket, then put her small hands on top of Pyrrha's shoulders. "So... ready to start?"

Pyrrha's mouth opened and closed as if she wanted to say something, then she swallowed. Yang finished pulling off Pyrrha's last stocking, tossing it with the first, and her strong hands closed over Pyrrha's bare feet. "You still with us, Pyrrha?"

The championship fighter blew out a shaky breath. "Oh my gods and goddesses..." She said softly. Her face was pale, and her eyes met Yang's, a half wondering, half questioning look in her eyes.

Yang chuckled at her. "Were you expecting something more, Champ?" Pyrrha glanced down at herself. She was still mostly dressed, still in her blouse and skirt, and modest enough for company, if you ignored her bare feet and legs in Yang's lap, and she shook her head.

"Yang... that was mean." She finally complained.

Yang raised an eyebrow. "Oh?" She grinned. "So you did expect something more?"

Pyrrha blushed furiously and shook her head quickly, picking up the book and opening it to the correct page once again. Hesitatingly at first, Pyrrha started to read, while Yang and Ruby gave her back and feet massages.

Blake had watched the show in mute astonishment, then started to laugh. "Oh my gods, the look on your face, Pyrrha!"

Pyrrha shook her head, still blushing, and paused long enough to look at Blake. "Speak for yourself, Blake. You were starting to look pretty jealous." She winked, to take the sting out of her words, and Blake just laughed again in response.

"Yes, yes I was." Blake admitted easily. "You had us going there for a minute, Yang."

"I have no idea what you're talking about." Yang said with a straight face.

Blake chuckled, then, as if deciding something, stepped over and sat down on the bed behind Yang, where there was room. She reached around Yang's body and started undoing the buttons to Yang's school uniform jacket.

Yang grinned. "I like where this is going..."

Wordlessly, Blake helped Yang out of her school jacket and vest, then started giving Yang a backrub while Pyrrha went back to reading. Ruby and Yang kept working on Pyrrha, and the room was filled with Pyrrha's voice as the Mistralian champion read through the rest of the second chapter and started on the third.

As she finished the third chapter, Pyrrha shivered and put the book down. "Would... would anyone else like to read a chapter?" She asked.

Blake raised a hand quickly. "I would!" Ruby and Yang giggled at the cat-faunus' immediate answer.

"Well, switch with Blake then, Pyrrha." Yang suggested.

Pyrrha licked her lips, put her feet on the floor, and stood, passing the book to Blake as Blake got up from behind Yang and slipped onto the bed where Pyrrha had been sitting a moment earlier. Thinking ahead, the cat-faunus took off her own jacket and vest so that Ruby could get at her back.

Pyrrha, on the other hand, wrinkled her nose, then crawled onto the bed behind Yang, then crawled up the length of the bed to sit next to Ruby. "May I?" She said, gesturing at the younger girl's back.

Ruby grinned and immediately started to pull off her own school jacket and vest so that Pyrrha could give her a backrub.

Yang snorted and put Blake's feet in her lap, and started untying Blake's shoes as Blake got started with chapter four.

When Blake had finished with Chapter four, Ruby volunteered to read next, Pyrrha shifting over to stay behind her, and Blake taking Yang's position at Ruby's feet. Yang shifted back behind Blake, and while Ruby read, gave Blake a back massage. Halfway though the chapter, however, Yang took her hands away and reached up toward the top of Blake's head.

"Hey... Blake." Yang asked curiously. "Can I touch your ears?" Ruby stopped reading in surprise, and Blake froze. Yang went on. "If it's not OK, I don't mind, I just wondered..."

Blake shook her head. "It's fine. I was just surprised. Just... be gentle?"

Yang ran one finger down the line between where Blake's left cat ear met her head, and Blake stiffened. "I promise." Yang told her softly.

Yang started gently rubbing both ears at the base, then slowly felt along each ear with both hands. Blake seemed to be having trouble staying upright, and a faint moan came from somewhere deep in her belly.

"Ah... you like that, do you, Kitten?" Yang teased.

Blake blushed crimson. "Yang..."

Yang lifted her hands away from Blake's head slightly. "Want me to stop?"

Blake swallowed. "No..."

Yang grinned. "Well, alright then."

Ruby tried to start reading again, but was interrupted a paragraph later by a low rumbling purr coming from Blake. Ruby stopped reading, and she giggled, followed a second later by soft, silvery laughter coming from Pyrrha.

Blake ducked her head, pulling her ears out of Yang's reach, and buried her face in her hands, looking mortified. "Stop... stop..." The room went silent, and everyone waited for Blake to compose herself. Finally, Blake spoke up. "I hate it when I do that."

"Why?" Yang asked, curious. "It's adorable."

Blake grimaced, still blushing. "I sound like a cat when I do that. I don't want people to think I'm just an animal..."

Yang moved up and wrapped her arms around Blake from behind, giving her a powerful hug. "Hey, nobody here thinks of you like that. You know that, right?"

Blake took a shuddering breath. "Yeah... I know that, but..."

Ruby smiled softly at her. "You know, I hear people say that faunus are inferior somehow because they have animal traits. But that's dumb. I think the people that say that are just jealous. Faunus have everything people do, and something extra. They're not inferior, they're extra special! Having an extra pair of ears is neat, Blake. I kind of wish I had ears like yours... or nightvision. That'd be awesome."

Pyrrha spoke up next. "I think you're right, Ruby. Faunus have genetic advantages that humans simply don't. Anyone saying that the faunus are inferior is fooling themselves. If anything, Faunus are the superior species, with greater advantages than humans have."

Yang laughed. "And it's not like humans don't purr. We just don't purr as well as you do, Blake."

Blake giggled. "Are you telling me that my purring is a superior trait?"

Yang grinned. "Heck yeah. Did I not mention how adorable that is?"

Blake raised an eyebrow. "Adorableness is a survival trait?" Ruby and Pyrrha both nodded to that.

Yang grinned. "Heck yeah it is. Ruby's right. I'd be a bit jealous of you myself, you know, if it wasn't for the fact that stupid people are a thing. Anybody in their right mind would want to be as cool as you are."

Blake chuckled lightly. "Well, if adorableness is a survival trait, Ruby must have won the genetic lottery."

Yang chuckled. "You're not wrong." Ruby grimaced and stuck out her tongue at her older sister.

Focusing back on the book, Ruby started reading again, and the room once more fell into companionable silence, save for the sound of Ruby's voice telling a tale of high fantasy.

"This is a very entertaining story!" Pyrrha commented happily as Ruby reached the end of chapter four, and Yang switched places with her sister to start chapter five.

"It's an old favorite of ours." Yang explained. "I used to read this one to Ruby when we were younger."

"Books and backrubs?" Pyrrha asked. "Is that a tradition in your family?"

Yang wrinkled her nose thoughtfully. "Our family is pretty big on the physical affection." She admitted. "I guess it's not exactly the normal thing."

"I don't know about that..." Blake said quietly. "My family was like that too. Mom is a hugger."

Pyrrha sighed softly. "My family is a bit more... formal. We don't hug, often." She sighed, then brightened. "But this is lovely." She gestured to her bed, where her entire team was relaxing. "I'm not sure what my mother would think, if she was to see us being so... affectionate." She blushed slightly. "But I don't believe I care. This is nice. We should do this again."

Ruby grinned. "Yay! Team bonding with reading and backrubs for everyone!"

Yang chuckled. "Yeah, I'm in. A little friendly cuddling never hurt anyone." Blake nodded her agreement, a faint hint of a blush tinging her cheeks, although there was also a small smile. Yang yawned. "Well, one more chapter, and I'm calling it. We've got classes in the morning." There were murmurs of agreement from the others, and Yang nodded back, then started in on chapter five.

/-/

Reading together seemed to become routine pretty quickly. The next night, after their team training with team WJNR, they'd gathered on Pyrrha's bed after changing into their pajamas and picked up where they'd left off with chapter six. Yang volunteered to read the first chapter, and Pyrrha read a second before they'd called it a night, but the next night, it was Blake's turn, then Ruby's.

It wasn't the same as when it had been just her and Ruby in the room. The sexual tension was missing. There wasn't that nearly overwhelming urge to push boundaries that she had felt when alone with their young team leader, not with Yang and Pyrrha in the room. It was a lot more relaxed. Although in exchange, she found herself feeling a lot closer to her other teammates at the same time. And she couldn't help but notice, on a regular basis, how attractive each of her teammates was.

During class and in the cafeteria, Blake kept waiting for someone to wonder at the changes in how her team was behaving, but nobody commented on it. She tried to see things from the perspective of an outsider. The four of them were obviously close. They touched each other constantly. A hand on the shoulder, a hug, holding hands... Blake was acutely aware of how much things had changed. She liked the closeness, but it was very different to her time in the White Fang. She'd gotten used to being solitary. Spending time alone was normal. But in team RPBY she was never really alone unless she made a conscious effort to do so. It was strange. She was starting to get used to it though.

Friday evening, as they went their separate ways to get some sleep, Blake turned to Yang curiously. "Yang... did you have a plan for our date tomorrow?"

Yang wrinkled her nose. "I was thinking we could head down to the ocean."

Blake blinked. "The ocean? Really?"

Yang hesitated. "Yeah, they've got shops by the wharf, and boats, and a bunch of stuff. That sound OK?"

Blake shrugged. "Sure, I guess."

Pyrrha glanced at Ruby. "That reminds me, Ruby... you said you had something in mind for our date this weekend? What did you have planned?"

Ruby grinned. "We're going to head to Patch over the weekend!" She announced cheerfully.

Pyrrha blinked. "Over the weekend?"

Ruby nodded. "Yup! We'll go to our place on Patch on Saturday, and spend the night there. I can show you around!"

Pyrrha chewed on her lip. "Oh... we'll be staying at your home in Patch? With your father?"

Ruby nodded again, then started to look worried. "Is... is that a bad idea?"

Pyrrha forced a smile. "I'm sure it'll be lovely."

Ruby looked relieved. "Oh good. Anyway, dad's looking forward to seeing us! I already told him we'll be coming so he's making us dinner when we arrive!"

Pyrrha tried not to grimace. "I hope he won't go to too much trouble."

Yang was looking surprised. "Taking a girl home on the first date, Ruby? That's bold, even for you."

"It's not our first date." Ruby insisted. "And it's not like that anyway. I just wanted to show Pyrrha what our home is like."

Pyrrha kept a professional smile on her face. "I'm looking forward to it!" She said with artificial cheer.

Yang raised an eyebrow dubiously, but Ruby seemed oblivious.

Blake shared a commiserating glance with Pyrrha, who could only sigh in resignation.

/-/

The next morning, Ruby and Pyrrha headed out to the airship docks, wearing their combat attire and each carrying a small day pack, while Yang led Blake down to the Beacon garages to collect Bumblebee.

When they got to the bike, Yang tossed Blake her spare helmet. Blake looked at it, hesitating, then, under her bow, her ears twitched.

"Do I have to wear the helmet?" She asked with a frown. "I've got Aura. A fall off of your bike won't hurt me."

Yang frowned. "Yeah, well, better safe than sorry, right?"

Blake sighed. "It's just... I assume you don't have a helmet with space for my ears?" She twitched her bow deliberately.

Yang caught the movement, then blinked. "Oh! Er... you can't just... I don't know, fold them down?"

Blake rolled her eyes. "I CAN... but it's not very comfortable. Especially not for an extended period."

Yang wrinkled her nose. "Ah. Yeah. Sorry. I should have thought of that."

Blake shrugged. "It's no big deal. And I do have Aura. I don't really need a helmet."

Yang sighed and took the helmet back. "My bad." She nodded upwards towards the top of Blake's head. "Is your bow going to be OK in the wind?"

Blake blinked. "Hmm? Oh, yeah. I tie it tight enough so that it doesn't come off in combat, so the wind from riding on the back of a motorcycle shouldn't be a problem."

Yang nodded. "Cool. Alright. Let's go?" She climbed onto her motorcycle and gestured to the seat behind her. "Climb aboard."

Blake slipped onto the seat behind her gracefully, then shifted up so that she was pressed against Yang's back, wrapping one arm around the blond brawler's waist. "Is this OK?"

Yang grinned. "Perfect." She gunned the motorcycle, and they were off.

Blake adapted to riding even faster than Pyrrha had, and Yang took them through the city, and to the south. Crossing a bridge out of the city, she drove them to the outskirts of Vale, just south of the Agricultural district, and from there along a winding dirt road, out to the coast, where a small port was.

As they came to a stop next to the wharf, Blake hopped down off the motorcycle and looked around curiously. "What is this place?"

Yang grinned. "It's a fishing village. It's kind of out of the way, so it doesn't get a lot of tourists this time of year, but there are a couple nice shops, and a pub Uncle Qrow used to take me to, and there's a place we can rent fishing poles. We could even rent a boat if you like."

Blake blinked. "Huh." She glanced at Yang. "Fishing poles? Do you know how to fish, Yang?"

Yang shrugged. "Sure. Dad taught us. It's a useful skill when you're traveling between kingdoms. Hunters have to live off the land sometimes, you know?"

Blake nodded, then smiled. "So, we're going fishing?"

Yang tilted her head to one side. "If you want to?"

Blake grinned wider. "Sure! Although you'll have to teach me. I've never been fishing before."

Yang gave her a thumb's up. "No problem. Leave it to me." She led her to a store renting fishing supplies and boats, and they went inside.

The man behind the counter looked up as they approached. "Welcome! How can I help you?"

Yang smiled and walked up to him. "We're looking to do a little fishing. Anyplace good right now?"

The man looked thoughtful. "Well, that depends on if you're wanting to head out in a boat, or if you want to fish from the shoreline."

Yang looked back at Blake. "Any preference?"

Blake raised an eyebrow. "Well, renting a boat sounds expensive."

Yang shrugged. "Yeah, a little."

Blake shook her head. "Why don't we stay on the shore then?"

The man wrinkled his nose. "Well, you could always head out onto the pier. It's a bit overfished at the moment, but there should be some still biting."

Yang raised an eyebrow, leaning in over the counter so that the man could get a good look at her cleavage. "I bet you know all the best spots though, huh?"

The man tore his eyes away from Yang's chest with some effort. "Hmm? Well... there is a good spot down by where the south Vale river enters the sea, but we've got some reports of Grimm in that area. Probably better to stick to the wharf."

Yang grinned, then cocked Ember Celica, both of her wristbands expanding into their shotgun-gauntlet configuration. "We're huntresses. We'll be fine."

The man smiled. "Well now. That's different." He went under the counter and pulled out a map of the area. Unfolding it, he pointed at a tiny island that sat in the mouth of a river bordering the south of the city that emptied out into the sea. "This is the place. We usually run tourists out to that little island during the busy season. It's private, and the fish there are always biting. Trouble is, right now there isn't enough custom to pay a hunter to clear it, so we have to leave the place alone. But... if a couple huntresses were to clear the island..."

Yang grinned. "Interesting. How do we get out to the island then?"

The man wrinkled his nose. "If you're offering, I'll take you there myself. Throw in fishing gear and supplies too."

Yang looked thoughtful. "Camping gear?"

The man nodded. "Thinking on spending the night out there?"

Yang turned to Blake. "How about it?"

Blake blinked. "You want to camp out on that island overnight?"

Yang nodded. "Sure. We'll clear the Grimm today, camp out on the island, and spend the rest of tomorrow fishing and chilling. What do you say?"

Blake chuckled, shaking her head, then shrugged. "Sure."

Yang turned to the man. "OK then. You'll drop us off today, and pick us up tomorrow afternoon?"

The man grinned. "It's a deal."

Yang stuck out her hand. "Oh, I'm Yang Xaio-Long, this is my partner, Blake Belladonna."

"Nice to meet you Yang." The man answered. "Name's Shiro."

/-/

Shiro apparently had a small boat he used during the tourist season for fishing trips. It had a machine gun cupola up on top of the main cabin, but otherwise it was a pretty standard fishing boat.

"Do you get a lot of big Grimm around here?" Blake asked curiously, nodding at the turret.

"A few." Shiro admitted. "Although the area near Vale is pretty safe, usually. But sometimes we go outside the protected area, and it's better to be safe than sorry."

Blake nodded agreeably, and went back to looking out over the rail.

It only took about fifteen minutes for Shiro to get them to the small isle at the mouth of the Vale river. As they approached, Blake noticed a number of Borbatusks coming out of a small copse of trees near the shoreline, apparently attracted by the sound of the boat's engines, and start approaching.

Yang put one foot up on the railing on the side of the boat facing the shore and pointed. "Get us right up to the shore, Shiro. We'll take it from there."

"Want me to get on the machine gun and give you some cover?" Shiro offered, already steering his boat towards the shore.

Yang shrugged. "We can handle the ones on the beach. But if you stay on the gun and give us some covering fire if anything else comes out, I wouldn't object."

Shiro nodded. "You got it, babe."

Blake bristled slightly at that, but Yang just laughed and threw him a thumb's up. The boat came in close to shore, and Yang leaped from the side, coming down on top of one of the Borbatusks with a shotgun enhanced punch that drove the Grimm into the sand and splayed out it's legs.

Blake leaped after, using a clone to launch herself farther onto the beach so she ended up landing on the back of a Borbatusk half a dozen yards away from Yang. Sinking the blade of Gambol Shroud into the monster's back between two plates of armor, she leaped from it's back and landed on a second Borbatusk, then pulled while pushing down and to the side with her legs, causing the two charging Grimm to crash into each other, knocking them both over.

Whipping Gambol Shroud back into her hands, she descended on the pair of overturned Grimm, stabbing at their unprotected undersides. She could hear Ember Celica firing behind her, and the crunch of Yang slamming into another foe.

Blake finished the second of the Grimm she'd felled just as Yang shot past her, crashing into a third Grimm that had been about to charge Blake. Blake rushed up in Yang's wake, and hamstrung the Borbatusk Yang had stopped, causing it to fall over. Yang leapt in and finished it, and the two of them leapt apart, going after the remaining Grimm on either side of them.

It was all over in just over a minute. Ten Borbatusk were scattered across the beach, the last of them already beginning to disintegrate. Shiro had maneuvered his boat about a hundred feet off shore and had moved up to his machine gun cupola, but by the time he'd gotten ready, the last of the Grimm had been defeated.

/-/

After the fight, Shiro had dropped off the fishing poles and camping supplies he'd promised before heading off, promising to return around four in the afternoon of the next day.

Once his boat was receding into the distance, Blake turned to Yang looking curious. "Did you have this in mind when you invited me out today?"

Yang shook her head, looking bemused. "Actually no. I just thought we'd go fishing or something. But this is way better, don't you think?"

Blake wrinkled her nose. "Well, if we wanted to fight Grimm, we could always go into the Emerald Forest..."

Yang shrugged. "Yeah, but that place is huge. We couldn't really just relax there. Here, once we've cleared this little island, we can relax overnight. We'll have the whole place to ourselves. Cool, huh?"

Blake chuckled. "Well, I'm not complaining. Should be interesting at least."

Yang cracked her knuckles, looking towards the interior of the small isle. "Might as well get going. We don't want to have to hunt Grimm after it gets dark."

"Darkness isn't much of a handicap for me." Blake pointed out.

Yang grinned. "That is pretty handy. Still, I want to pull my weight, so let's get this placed cleared while it's still light."

Blake nodded easily. "Sure."

/-/

It hadn't taken them long. The small island was only a few hundred yards across, and there were only a few packs of smaller Grimm inhabiting it. Deadly for regular people, but easy prey for huntresses as skilled and powerful as Blake and Yang.

When they were sure that they'd gotten the last of them, Yang lead Blake back to where they'd left the supplies Shiro had lent them, and she collected the two fishing poles and some bait.

Yang walked along the island's beach, looking for something. What it was, Blake wasn't sure, but Yang knew it when she saw it.

"There... see that calm spot behind that big boulder?" Yang pointed at a large boulder sitting several yards out from the island, a bit of froth and foam on the side that the river was coming from, and a small whirl of water on the opposite side where the current was slowed.

Blake nodded slowly. "I think so. Where the water is swirling around instead of flowing straight?"

Yang nodded. "Let's start there."

Sticking the butt end of both fishing poles into the sand, Yang showed Blake how to set up the rod and reel for casting, and then how to bait her hook.

Yang then demonstrated how to cast, sinking a line into the middle of the small whirl of water that she'd pointed out, where, she said, fish were likely to be waiting.

"It's a calm spot, you see." Yang explained. "Fish are hunters too. The bigger ones hunt the smaller ones, and those hunters often like to wait in calm places near a current, so they can watch the smaller fish go by and pounce on them."

Blake nodded thoughtfully. "And our bait looks like little fish?"

Yang nodded. "Right. So, in theory, they see our bait, and bite, thinking it's a meal, but we get to eat them instead." She grinned.

Blake chuckled. "Works for me." She pointed at a small bright round thing attached to Yang's line that was floating in the middle of the calm spot. "And what's that thing? More bait?"

Yang shook her head. "That's a bobber. It stays on the surface and keeps the bait from sinking all the way down to the bottom... and... whoops!" She suddenly started reeling in her line furiously.

Blake blinked. "What happened? Did you get one?"

Yang reeled in her line all the way, and looked at the empty hook at the end of it in mild disappointment. "Nope. Looks like something got the bait though."

She put more bait on the hook, then cast the line out again. It landed to the left of the calm spot, and Yang reeled it in immediately, then cast it out again. It overshot the mark a bit, but this time she grinned and nodded, reeling in a little bit at a time till the bobber was pretty much where it had been before.

"As I was going to say, the other reason for the bobber is that if a fish grabs your bait, the bobber will get pulled down. Once you see your bobber go under, that's your signal to try and reel in the fish. Got it?"

Blake nodded thoughtfully. "I think so."

Yang shrugged. "Well then, give it a try!"

Blake frowned, hefting the rod and reel in her hands thoughtfully. It wasn't all THAT different from using Gambol Shroud, was it? She just wanted to cast the line out and have the bait go into the calm place next to Yang's, right?

She tested the weight once more, then tried whipping the rod forward the way she'd seen Yang do it. Then she yelped as the hook got caught in her hair, pulling her long black tresses in front of her face and throwing off her aim. Yang laughed and stuck the butt of her rod into the sand again, and moved over to help Blake untangle her hair from the hook.

Yang stepped up behind her. "Here, let me show you how it's done." She stepped in against Blake's back and reached around to put her own hands over Blake's. Blake froze as the larger girl's arms went around her, and Yang hesitated. "This OK?"

Blake swallowed once, then nodded. "Yeah." Her heart was hammering in her chest. Why was her heart pounding so hard?

Yang tightened her grip on Blake's hands slightly, and moved in even closer so that she could peer over Blake's left shoulder. The bigger girl's breasts pressed firmly into Blake's back, and Blake was acutely conscious of how much of Yang was pressed up against her. She could feel Yang's breath on her shoulder and the side of her face.

"OK, we'll do it slow the first time..." Yang instructed calmly. "Just keep your arms loose and let me do the work for now."

Blake forced her body to loosen up, realizing that she'd been holding herself still, almost paralyzed with... what? Anticipation? Fear? Yang was her partner, and her friend. She wasn't afraid of her. Sure, Yang was terrifyingly strong. And she had a fiery temper when roused, but surely she wasn't scared of her. Was she scared of getting too close? It wasn't as if physical intimacy scared her, was it? Blake realized then that she was, in fact, frightened, and why. She liked it when Yang touched her. She liked the warmth, the feeling of Yang's body against hers. And at the same time, desired more. And that truly scared her. Realizing that, Blake let herself relax fully. Yang wouldn't hurt her, physically or emotionally. Not if she could help it. Blake knew that. Sure, that didn't mean she couldn't get hurt. Someone was bound to get hurt sooner or later, the way they were going. Not all of them would end up happy. But she knew that going in, didn't she?

Yang walked her through several casts, puppetting Blake's movements for her so that Blake could get the idea.

It was only after the third try that Blake belatedly realized that she'd spaced out about what she was actually trying to learn, and had instead been ruminating and enjoying Yang's warmth. "Er... sorry, Yang, spaced out there for a minute. Could you show me a couple more times?"

Yang chuckled, helping Blake reel in her line. "No problem, Kitten." She walked Blake through a couple more casts before speaking softly into Blake's human ear. "So... do you think you've got it now?"

Yang's breath across her ear made Blake shiver, and Blake could feel a tremor run down Yang's body in response. "Er... sure. I think so?" She finally replied.

Yang released Blake and stepped away, causing Blake to sigh silently to herself. Rather than let herself wallow in it, she focused on the task at hand. Casting her line out to the spot she wanted.

She made the whipping motion Yang had taken her through, and was rewarded when her line sank only a few meters away from the spot she'd been aiming for.

Yang gave her a thumb's up. "Good job, Kitten! We'll make a fisherman out of you yet!"

Blake gave her a raised eyebrow. "FisherMAN?"

Yang gave her one back. "Fishercat?" Blake's unimpressed look did not change. "Fisherkitten?" Blake closed her eyes and sighed. Where was Ruby when you needed her?

/-/

Miles away, on the airship to Patch, Ruby had the sudden inexplicable urge to hit Yang with a pillow.

* * *

**Author's Note: Yes, I know the gender neutral term is "Fisher." And Blake isn't really upset by the regular word, she's just giving Yang a hard time. Which Yang is giving back. If you called either of them a Fireman instead of a Firefighter (assuming that they were fighting fires for some reason), I don't think either would complain about it. But you give your friends grief over stupid stuff... and if nothing else, these two are pretty good friends at this point. Blake tends to be a little touchy about things, and Yang tends to like to push buttons. It's all part of being friends.**

**Also, long delay, I know. Sorry about that. Life gets busy sometimes.**


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

Ruby shook her head, throwing off a sudden irrational urge to pummel her sister, and turned back to Pyrrha with a smile, pointing out the window of the Airship. "And that's Signal over there." Ruby pointed out her old combat school helpfully as it came into view. Patch really wasn't all that far from Vale. The island was clearly visible from the coast on a clear day, and if you were high enough up, you could see both Beacon and Signal from an airship at the same time, but it was much easier to make out her old school as they approached Patch, and at the moment, Beacon itself was lost from sight in the clouds.

Pyrrha nodded noncommittally, smiling faintly and giving only a slight sound of acknowledgment as Ruby continued to point out various landmarks. It wasn't that she wasn't paying attention, Pyrrha did her best to remember each detail Ruby pointed out, it was more than she was getting more and more nervous as their destination approached.

Patch... or more precisely, Ruby's home, and her father. Pyrrha was sure that Ruby meant well. It seemed contrary to Ruby's very personality for the smaller girl to be purposely cruel, but Pyrrha was truly not looking forward to the meeting. Common sense told her that everything would be fine. Surely anyone who had raised daughters as kind and sweet as Ruby and Yang couldn't be anything but nice themselves. But common sense wasn't enough. She had visions of a huge, brooding man. Yang, but male, with a temper even worse than the blond brawler, and a streak of over-protectiveness even more powerful.

Although, that wasn't the only possibility that worried her. From what she'd heard from Yang, Taiyang Xaio-Long had been romantically involved with both of the female members of team STRQ, Summer Rose and Raven Branwen, and had children with each. A vision of a handsome, flirty playboy... again, a male version of Yang, but instead of the temper, there was this image of a suave, grinning ladies man who broke hearts without effort. Pyrrha wasn't sure which image was more terrifying. While she feared Taiyang's disapproval of her relationship with his daughter... with his daughters? Was she in a relationship with both Ruby and Yang? And if so, how would she explain that to him? She also had a strange fear that somehow she'd fall for Taiyang's charms herself. That somehow, the man's charisma had been passed down only partially in his daughters, and that she would find him even more irresistible than she found his children. She'd never before felt that kind of attraction. At least, not the way she felt it for Ruby and Yang. What if it was something that Taiyang had taught them? Something in the Xaio-Long bloodline that she simply couldn't resist? What would she do if she found herself drawn to a third member of their family?

Pyrrha shook her head, dismissing the fantasy. It was too ridiculous. She obviously was a lesbian. The evidence was clear. First her feelings for Ruby, then for Yang, simply meant that Pyrrha was attracted to women. There was no chance that she'd find Taiyang as fascinating. He would be far too old for her in any case, and regardless, the whole line of thinking was absolutely ridiculous. Wasn't it?

Pyrrha passed the trip to Patch in a haze of worry and increasingly unlikely flights of fantasy, nodding or murmuring responses to Ruby as seemed appropriate, but not really paying full attention to her young girlfriend.

Unfortunately, it seemed like Ruby wasn't completely oblivious to her distraction.

"Is something wrong, Pyrrha?" Ruby asked as they finished coming down the exit ramp from the airship. "You've been distracted for the whole trip here."

Pyrrha blinked, suddenly paying full attention. "Oh!" She flushed guiltily. "I apologize Ruby." She licked her lips nervously. "I suppose I am a bit apprehensive about meeting your father."

Ruby looked surprised. "Dad? Ah, he's a big teddy bear. There's no reason to be scared of him!"

Pyrrha smiled politely, pretending to believe her. "I'm sure you're right, Ruby."

Ruby took her by the hand and lead Pyrrha out of the small town that was centered around the airship port, and to a small dirt road that lead into the woods. "Come on, Pyrrha. Our house is this way!"

Pyrrha did her best to push her apprehension out of her head, and instead tried to enjoy the scenery. It was quite pleasant, really. Once they got out of the small town, the forest was quiet and peaceful. She could hear the small sounds of wildlife here and there as they passed, and in the distance, she could make out bird song. Ruby's hand was soft and warm in her own, and it was just cool enough that it was pleasant to hold. She could feel just the hint of a chill on her bare shoulders and neck. Her combat attire wasn't perhaps the best for this weather, although the walk through the woods heated her up enough so that she didn't really feel chilled, she'd probably start to feel a bit cold if she stopped moving for an extended period though.

Ruby babbled cheerfully as they walked, about the village they had just left, and childhood memories of trips through this very forest, about the Grimm that were often found in the deeper parts of the woods here...

"Beowolves?" Pyrrha repeated at one point. "In such numbers?"

"There's some Ursa too." Ruby said with a nod. "My dad clears them out pretty regularly, as do the other teachers at Signal, although Yang and I have been helping out for the last few years."

Pyrrha nodded absently. It made sense. Ruby was a true terror when facing Grimm, as was her older sister. Neither girl quite had Pyrrha's finesse in the Arena, certainly, but against the monsters of Grimm, both girls were superior to her in many ways. Especially Ruby. Her scythe was truly deadly against them. Privately, Pyrrha had started to think that Ruby would probably be just as deadly against most human opponents as well, except for the fact that she almost had to hold herself back in the arena. Her scythe was so incredibly deadly that Ruby simply couldn't use it to it's full potential against humans, not without risking doing serious injury to her opponents, especially once Ruby got moving at anything close to her full speed. Certainly, an experienced hunter could dull such a blow if they realized what was happening in time to focus their Aura to the point of impact... but that was the problem. Few people could keep up with Ruby's speed well enough to perform such a feat. Part of Pyrrha wanted a true duel with the small reaper at some point. One where Ruby stopped holding back. If anyone could give her a proper challenge, Pyrrha felt Ruby might be one to do so. It would be dangerous, of course, but the ever competitive part of the Mistralian champion didn't care. She wanted such a fight, regardless of the risk. Surely her own skills would allow her to avoid serious injury. But convincing Ruby to go all out? That was a different matter.

Distracted by her own musings once more, Pyrrha almost didn't hear Ruby announce their arrival at her family home. Almost. The sight of the rustic looking two story log cabin caught her attention almost immediately.

"Dad! Hey dad! We're here!" Ruby shouted cheerfully, breaking Pyrrha out of her musings completely as the Amazonian girl's mood went from thoughtful to terrified in an instant.

The front door opened even as they approached, and a tall, athletic looking man came out. He was blond, and wore a collared shirt and cargo shorts over his tanned skin. His face had a boyish charm, a dusting of blond stubble and a small soul patch on his chin only serving to give him some character. He was one of those people who's age is hard to determine, and if she didn't know better she could have placed him at anywhere from twenty five to his mid forties without being able to pin it down for sure.

He moved with confidence, and his easy smile sent a small flutter through her heart. Pyrrha swallowed nervously. Before she could get too nervous, however, she was distracted by something coming out from behind the man. A happy bark was followed by an adorable looking Corgi rushing around Tai and racing toward Ruby, tail wagging and little feet churning, it leapt onto Ruby like a tiny missile.

"Zwei!" Ruby cheered as she spun around and around, holding the Corgi in her arms. "I missed you boy!"

"Hey Ruby!" Taiyang called happily to his youngest daughter. "And this must be Pyrrha!" He walked out to meet them halfway, and reached out to take her hand. "Nice to meet you, Miss Nikos." He said with a genuine smile. "Ruby's told me all about you."

Pyrrha gulped. "All good things, I hope?"

Taiyang chuckled easily. "All good things. Come on inside, put your bags down. Can I get you something to drink?" Ruby's father escorted them inside smoothly, and soon they were sitting around the kitchen table. Ruby was still holding the Corgi, who was obviously thrilled, if it's little yips of pleasure and it's endless attempts to bathe Ruby's face with it's tongue were any indication.

Taiyang bustled around the kitchen, preparing lunch and chatting with Pyrrha and Ruby about Beacon. He seemed genuinely interested about every aspect of their time at the hunter school, and apparently was on a first name basis with most of the faculty there. He had a casual nature that eased Pyrrha's nervousness and soon she was talking and laughing with him like they were old friends.

Ruby let Zwei down finally, and the Corgi immediately rushed over to investigate the newcomer. Pyrrha smiled down at the small dog as it came over and put it's two front paws on her leg. It barked once, but it was more of an question than any sort of threat. Pyrrha got off her chair and knelt before the small animal, putting a closed hand out for Zwei to sniff. Zwei sniffed her hand, then circled Pyrrha once, as if inspecting her from all sides.

Then he barked again, sounding happy, and Tai laughed. "Seems like Zwei approves, huh kiddo?"

Ruby was beaming. "He likes you, Pyrrha!"

Pyrrha reached forward and patted the small dog between the ears, then gave it a scratch, causing the little animal to wag it's tail furiously and then run around in tiny circles.

Taiyang looked impressed for some reason. "Well now. Zwei's really taken to you Pyrrha. That says a lot about you."

Pyrrha blinked, a bit confused. "Well... I like him as well." She said finally, not quite certain why the dog's approval was so important, but not wanting to insult her host by questioning it.

After they'd eaten, they moved into the living room and kept talking. Ruby told him about all of the more interesting events from their school year so far, and Taiyang was happy, sympathetic, and solemn as was appropriate.

When she told him about Jaune Arc's death in initiation, Taiyang gathered Ruby in a hug, comforting her and wiping away the tears that seemed to start the moment he took her into his arms. Pyrrha was both slightly embarrassed and more than a little honored that Ruby would let herself become so vulnerable in her presence, and after a long moments hesitation, she hugged Ruby as well once Taiyang released her. She found Zwei burrowing into the middle of their hug for some reason, which caused Ruby to giggle.

"I'm OK..." Ruby sniffed, then smiled just slightly. "Thanks, Pyrrha." She patted the little dog fondly. "Thank you Zwei."

Taiyang beamed at Pyrrha. "I'm glad my baby girl has someone like you to support her."

Pyrrha shook her head quickly. "It's more than mutual, sir. Ruby is the heart and soul of our team. She looks out for all of us."

"Call me Tai." The blond man said for perhaps the fifth time that night. He beamed at his daughter. "You're really growing up, kiddo. So much like your mother. Summer always looked after us as well. She was team leader too, you know?"

Ruby smiled softly at that. "Really? Mom was?"

Tai nodded. "Yup. She'd be so very proud of you, you know?"

They continued talking about Beacon. Blake's secret, and it's reveal brought a nod from Tai, who had heard a bit about the situation already, although the story about Jack Spriggan's scroll being stolen and used to out their faunus teammate was news to him. He was concerned at first, but Ruby went on to explain how Cardin and his team had been revealed to be the culprits, and that they'd been punished by Professor Goodwitch.

"There are always guys like that in any class." Tai said with a sigh. "Bullies who thing being big, or rich, or talented give them the right to lord it over everyone else." His face hardened slightly. "He's not giving you or your team any more trouble, is he?"

Ruby scoffed. "Cardin? He's terrified of Yang and Pyrrha. He won't try anything."

Pyrrha chuckled. "Aren't you number two in combat classes so far, Ruby?"

Ruby wrinkled her nose. "Am I?"

Pyrrha nodded. "Well, technically you're tied with Yang for second place."

Tai looked impressed. "That's great, kiddo."

Pyrrha smiled. "Ruby is in the top ten percent of the school in the rest of her classes as well, Mister Xiao-Long."

Tai looked surprised. "Really?" He turned to Ruby. "That's amazing, kiddo! Two years ahead and still on the top of your classes?" He glanced at Pyrrha. "And call me Tai, Pyrrha. Unless you'd prefer I call you Miss Nikos?"

Pyrrha blushed. "Pyrrha is fine... Tai."

Ruby was quick to shift the focus off of herself. "Well, Pyrrha's number one in combat class, and she's in the top five best students in all of her other classes as well. She's even been teaching everybody hand to hand combat in our spare time."

Tai blinked. "Oh really!" He looked surprised. "You were never all that interested in unarmed combat before."

Ruby blushed. "Well, I've thought about it, and... well, I won't ALWAYS have Crescent Rose on me... and what if I get disarmed?"

Tai nodded easily. "Well, it certainly doesn't hurt to be prepared." He looked at Pyrrha appraisingly. "I'm surprised. I'd have thought Yang would have..." he trailed off. "I'm sure Pyrrha is perfectly competent as well, of course." He corrected quickly.

Pyrrha blushed. "Yang is a very strong fighter, especially in unarmed combat." She assured him.

"Yeah, but Pyrrha's better!" Ruby said enthusiastically.

Tai looked interested now. "Oh really? I've heard about your tournament record, but I didn't realize you were that skilled at unarmed combat as well, Pyrrha." Pyrrha flinched at that and looked away, something Tai noticed.

Ruby didn't seem to, however. "Yeah, we had a team martial arts tournament with us and team WJNR, and Pyrrha beat everybody. Yang did pretty well too, of course."

Tai noted Pyrrha flinching again, and decided to change the subject. "Sounds like you have a pretty good team, kiddo." He nodded at his daughter. "Blake seemed nice as well."

"Blake's great!" Ruby enthused. "She's really strong too, and she's right up there with Pyrrha and Weiss at the top of the class."

Tai smiled. "You're lucky to have such talented teammates. Not that team STRQ wasn't talented... at fighting, anyway." He chuckled. "We weren't all that impressive outside of that, unfortunately. If it wasn't for Summer tutoring us all, we'd probably have failed half our classes."

Ruby looked shocked. "No way. You're a teacher!"

Tai laughed. "I didn't start out a teacher. I was just a muscle-headed jock back then. And Raven and Qrow were completely hopeless at first. Summer was the only one of us who took classes seriously. Outside of combat class, anyway."

Ruby looked interested. "Who was the strongest in your year, dad?"

"Raven." Tai said with a shrug. "Qrow and Summer were close, but nobody could beat Raven."

Ruby looked astonished. "Not even you, dad?"

Tai shrugged. "Well, not at first, anyway. Honestly, I felt like the weak link in our team for the longest time. I worked my butt off to try and catch up with them."

The three of them chatted for another couple hours, Tai managing to keep the conversation going with his easygoing nature and charm. Before Pyrrha knew it, Tai was standing up, announcing that it was time for him to go fix dinner. Pyrrha offered to help, but Tai turned her down, saying that he'd been planning this dinner for awhile, and wanted her to relax.

Ruby took Pyrrha upstairs to her room while they were waiting for dinner. It was a large room with a angled roof sloping away from the doorway, and a pair of beds on the opposite wall. "You can use Yang's bed." Ruby told her cheerfully, hopping onto her own and indicating the one to her left.

Pyrrha nodded, sitting down on what was apparently Yang's bed, and took a long slow glance around the room. The walls, like those in the rest of the house, were wood, and there were a number of faded landscape paintings here and there on the walls. The furniture was wood as well, sturdy and functional, and the window to the outside had a view of the forest outside the house. It was quite a bit more rustic than Pyrrha had expected, although to be honest, she hadn't really known what to expect. Everything was in woodsy colors, brown and black, dark reds and oranges. It made the house seem old. Lived in, certainly, and homey, but something Pyrrha couldn't explain made her feel like there was an quietness, an emptiness to the place, as if something was missing.

Something was missing, of course. Pyrrha knew that Yang's mother had left, and that Ruby's mother had died, leaving Taiyang Xiao-Long alone to raise his two daughters. It was silly to think that she could somehow feel that absence in the look and feel of a house, but nevertheless, Pyrrha felt that even without being told, she'd have known someone was missing from this home.

She shook her head to drive off the melancholy notion, and paid closer attention to Ruby, who was showing off her collection of Grimm figurines.

Before long, they were called down for dinner, and once again, Taiyang was a perfectly charming host. Dinner was excellent, and when they were finished, Ruby stood up and looked out the kitchen window with a sense of determination.

"I'm going to visit mom." She announced calmly. "Want to come, Pyrrha?"

Taiyang blinked, then glanced curiously at Pyrrha.

Pyrrha swallowed, but nodded. "I'd be honored."

Ruby smiled faintly at her, then started for the door into the main part of the house. "I'll show you the way. It's not too far."

Taiyang started cleaning up the dishes, and Pyrrha hesitated, looking torn, but he waved her off. "I've got this. You two go visit Summer. You can help with the dishes next time."

Pyrrha gave Taiyang a quick nod, and followed Ruby into the living room, where Ruby collected Crescent Rose. Pyrrha wrinkled her nose, then grabbed her weapons as well, and then followed Ruby out the front door.

Now fully armed, Pyrrha followed Ruby across the yard and into the forest. "Should we be worried?"

"About the Grimm?" Ruby snorted. "Around here? With both of us armed?" She shook her head. "No. Nothing that dangerous on Patch. Just Beowolves and Ursa mostly, like I said. Nothing we can't handle."

Pyrrha nodded at that. It was true. There were few Grimm that would pose a serious danger to both Ruby and herself, so if Ruby wasn't worried, neither was she.

"How do the other people on Patch deal with the Grimm?" She asked curiously.

"They keep to the town, mostly." Ruby answered. "There are Grimm alarms around the town, and they patrol the area around it. It's just the areas farther away from most people where the Grimm can start to build up their numbers. Our house is pretty far out of town, but of course, with Dad here, there's no problem."

"Your father's strong, then?" Pyrrha asked, knowing the answer already.

"Oh yeah!" Ruby answered enthusiastically. "He taught Yang how to fight, but he's way stronger than she is."

"And your uncle Qrow taught you?" Pyrrha asked, confirming something she was already pretty certain of.

"That's right." Ruby agreed easily. "I always thought his Scythe was so cool. I was always bugging him to show me how to use it when I was a kid."

Pyrrha nodded silently, and they walked on in silence through the woods for a while.

After a couple miles, they came out into a clearing, and Ruby paused, looking around, before sighing. "Shoot... I forgot." She walked forward, bent over, and picked up a large shell casing. "I really should remember to pick all these up."

Pyrrha came forward, and recognized the casing as one of Crescent Rose's heavy sniper rounds. "I take it you got into a fight here?"

Ruby nodded. "The day before I went into Vale and stopped Roman Torchwick, actually. It was a long fight, and I was pretty tired, so I just left everything here and went home afterwards."

Pyrrha raised an eyebrow. "I take it you'd have normally collected the shell casings?"

Ruby shrugged. "Well, I don't always, but this place is... special. I don't want to leave it a mess."

Pyrrha nodded slowly in understanding. "Well, if you'd like, I could help?"

Ruby smiled gratefully. "You don't have to. I made this mess..."

Pyrrha shook her head. "Not at all. In fact, let me handle it. Stand back for a moment."

Ruby blinked, then did so, taking several steps back, as Pyrrha raised one hand. Her hand glowed black, and Pyrrha closed her eyes. Then, from all around the clearing, shell casings started flying toward Pyrrha from every direction, some of them flying to her from halfway across the clearing. Pyrrha brought out her other hand, and the casings all flew together, gathering in a rough ball about two feet from her outstretched hands.

Pyrrha turned to Ruby, floating the ball of shell casings along behind her. "Where should we put these?" She asked with a small smile.

Ruby grinned. "Why don't you leave them by that tree there. We'll collect them when we come back this way on the way home."

Pyrrha nodded, floating the shell casings over to where Ruby had indicated, then letting them fall.

Ruby beamed at her. "That's really neat, Pyrrha. Why don't you do stuff like that more often?"

Pyrrha shrugged. "Well, I HAVE been trying to keep that particular trick a secret for quite some time, you know." She admitted. "And honestly, there aren't that many chances to use it."

Ruby shook her head. "I don't know if I could resist playing with a semblance that cool. I'd be flying stuff around the room all the time, and making Crescent Rose fly around and slash Grimm like whoosh, and zoom..." She made motions with her hands to clarify, and Pyrrha giggled.

"That does sort of sound like fun... but my trainers were quite adamant that I not use my semblance frivolously." Pyrrha explained. "Besides, it does take energy from my Aura to do so."

Ruby frowned. "Well, your trainers were boring."

Pyrrha chuckled at that. "Perhaps."

Ruby wrinkled her nose. "I know you don't want anyone to know about your semblance, but maybe would could practice using it in secret?"

Pyrrha frowned at that. "Not that I don't appreciate the sentiment, but why are you so interested in my practicing with my semblance?"

Ruby hesitated before answering. "It's complicated." She finally answered.

Pyrrha stopped walking. "What do you mean?"

Ruby stopped as well, and faced her. "Um... it's just..." she fought for an answer. Telling Pyrrha that she lost a fight against Cinder Fall and died in an alternate timeline would make her sound crazy. "Our life... being a huntress, is dangerous. Crazy dangerous. Sure, if we work as a team, we can handle most things, but... you never know when you might need one more trick... or just a bit more skill, to survive. My mom... she was supposed to be this unstoppable huntress. Best of the best. But she went out one day, and didn't come back. She had all these skills... but what if she'd learned just a little bit more? What if she'd had a trick, or a technique, or a piece of equipment that would have made the difference between... between living and dying?"

Pyrrha sighed. "Ruby... I..."

Ruby interrupted her. "Don't say you're not going to die. Everybody dies, Pyrrha."

Pyrrha nodded. "And it's a fate every huntress must be willing to face." She smiled softly. "You're not wrong. It would be foolish to leave a vital skill untrained when it could make the difference between victory and death. But I have trained in my semblance."

Ruby nodded. "I've seen you use it. But you don't train with it the way I do with mine, or the way Weiss does with hers, or even Yang..." she shook her head. "For you, it's the last thing you use, to deflect or redirect your enemy at the last moment. And I understand about keeping a trump card. I absolutely think you're right to keep your semblance a secret. But just in case it makes a difference, I... I'd like you to try training with it more."

Pyrrha raised an eyebrow. "Is that an order from my team leader?"

Ruby's face crumpled. "Does it have to be?"

Pyrrha smiled and shook her head. "No. Although I wouldn't be upset if it was. You're a good leader, and you just want your team to be stronger."

"I want my team to live." Ruby said softly. "No matter what. And that means we have to be better than everyone, better than the Grimm, or the White Fang, or anyone else."

Pyrrha's face became concerned. "Ruby... is this about Torchwick?"

Ruby looked up at her. "A little, maybe? And a bit about my mom, maybe. And about the Grimm. You're really strong against other Hunters. But against the Grimm... I just want to be sure you're ready."

Pyrrha nodded slowly. "I will bow to your expertise about the Grimm, Ruby. You are better than I am against them."

Ruby flushed. "No! I...!"

Pyrrha chuckled. "Don't be modest. Your skills are extraordinary. To some degree it is your choices in equipment and battle strategy that give you such an edge against them, but fighting the Grimm is why we are huntresses, is it not? You're right. I should focus more on tactics against them. And you're right. My semblance isn't much help against the Grimm as I've become accustomed to use it, aside from preventing me from ever losing my weapons, anyway."

Ruby thought about that. "Why are you so good at hand to hand if you can make sure you never lose your weapons because of your semblance?"

Pyrrha blinked. "Ah... well, I received a good amount of my training before I unlocked my semblance, and I never considered switching to a different style than the one I'd already developed. My trainers wanted me to have a firm grasp of all the fundamentals."

Ruby nodded. "Well, it's lucky for me. If I lose Crescent Rose, I'm pretty much toast. So your teaching me how to fight without my baby really helps me where I'm weakest."

Pyrrha smiled. "It's been a pleasure. You're learning very quickly, Ruby. When you manage to start really incorporating your own semblance with your unarmed combat, I think you'll be truly terrifying."

Ruby blushed. "You say the nicest things, Pyrrha."

Pyrrha just laughed.

Ruby giggled and started walking again. "Come on. It's not much farther now." Ruby led them across the clearing and back into the woods, and they walked for a couple hundred more yards before they came out onto the coastline. There was a rocky promontory sticking out far above the waves, and Ruby led Pyrrha up onto it. There, at the edge of the cliff where rock met empty air, far over the crashing waves of the sea, was a grave marker, just a bit more than two feet on a side, an irregular pyramid shape that seemed to be fit into the background scenery as if it was meant to be there. Pyrrha approached and read the inscription. 'Summer Rose, Thus Kindly I Scatter'. She closed her eyes and took a long breath.

Ruby walked up to her mother's grave and sighed as well. "Hi mom." She said softly. "It's me."

Pyrrha hesitated. "Should I... give you some privacy?"

Ruby glanced at the taller girl, then shook her head. "No, it's fine. You can stay if you like. I'll just be a minute." Pyrrha nodded quickly, and Ruby turned back to her mother's grave. "Anyway, I'm back from Beacon. Beacon! Can you believe it? Yang's there. I keep her in line." She giggled. "Sort of. I'm team leader, and I've got the best team ever. Don't tell dad though, but it's true. My partner is Pyrrha. She's here too."

Pyrrha swallowed and waved uncertainly. "Hello!" She said brightly to the grave marker.

Ruby smiled at Pyrrha, then turned back to the grave again. "Things have been hectic, and weird, and... stuff is happening that I don't really understand, but... I kind of feel like you've been helping me somehow. That things are going to be alright. Thanks for that. I was worried there for a bit." Ruby sighed. "I miss you, but I kind of feel like you're watching over me too, so it's not that lonely. Yang's looking out for me, and Blake and Pyrrha do too. They're great." She hesitated, then spoke quietly. "We're kind of dating. All of us I mean. I know it sounds strange but we're all being really careful and we all really like each other, so we're trying to figure out who we like the best. Keeping my fingers crossed." She wrinkled her nose. "Was it like this with you and Dad and Raven? I'd ask Dad, but I think I'd be too embarrassed. Maybe I'll ask Uncle Qrow. He's cool, he wouldn't give me too hard a time about it. Right?"

Pyrrha was torn between laughing and blushing, so she settled for covering her face in her hands and doing her best not to make any sound.

Ruby knelt down for a moment, brushing some dust off the stone, then stood. "Well, it was good seeing you again mom. I'll come back soon." She turned to Pyrrha. "OK. I'm done."

Pyrrha nodded, then inclined her head toward the stone. "May I?"

Ruby blinked. "Um... sure."

Pyrrha stepped forward, and went to one knee before the grave site. "I will protect your daughter, and keep her safe." She promised quietly, but with conviction. "I swear this to you. And... thank you for bringing such a wonderful person into this world." She stood, and turned to see Ruby had one hand over her mouth, and was blushing furiously.

"You... you didn't have to say that, Pyrrha." Ruby said, sounding both embarrassed and a bit awed.

Pyrrha smiled. "Perhaps not. But I meant every word."

/-/

Taiyang was waiting for them when they got back, arms crossed over his chest, but a smile on his face. He opened the door for them.

"Good visit?" He asked Ruby quietly.

"Yeah." She answered simply. "Well, goodnight dad. I think we'll head up to bed."

Taiyang looked surprised. "Bit early, isn't it?"

Ruby shrugged. "Long day."

Taiyang shrugged back. "Well, goodnight kiddo." He nodded to Pyrrha. "Goodnight Pyrrha. If you need anything, let me know. Feel free to use the kitchen, or anything else, really, and if you can't find something, just come find me."

Pyrrha ducked her head slightly. "Thank you Mister Xaio-Long..." he raised an eyebrow at her, and she corrected herself. "Tai. Thank you for your hospitality."

Ruby led her upstairs, and they retired to her bedroom.

They took turns getting changed for bed in the small upstairs bathroom, and before long, they were sitting on Ruby and Yang's beds, in their pajamas, facing each other.

Ruby was looking distracted and guilty, rubbing her hands together slowly.

"What's the matter, Ruby?" Pyrrha asked the younger girl gently.

"I feel like I kind of screwed up our date." Ruby admitted. "None of this was very romantic..."

Pyrrha smiled. "A date doesn't always have to be romantic. I was honored to see your home, meet your father, and your mother. I appreciate the chance to get to know this part of you."

Ruby snorted disbelievingly. "You're just being nice."

Pyrrha blinked. "Ruby? No... I..."

Ruby looked at her seriously. "Pyrrha. You're always nice." She shook her head. "And that's part of what I like about you... but you know you can tell me when I mess up, right?"

Pyrrha hesitated. "Well, I suppose I can admit that I wasn't thrilled at the idea of meeting your father so soon." She smiled. "But he was wonderful. And Patch is beautiful, and I really am glad I came."

Ruby looked at her dubiously. "Really?"

Pyrrha nodded firmly. "Really."

Ruby sighed. "Well, I'm glad Dad wasn't too bad. And I guess Patch is kind of pretty, but still, this isn't a very romantic date. Not a fun date either. I don't know what I was thinking."

Pyrrha smiled. "You were thinking you wanted to share your home with me. I get that. Actually, I feel the same. I'd love to take you to Mistral. To Argus, where my mother lives, and where I trained. Mother would like you very much, I think."

Ruby beamed at that. "I'd love that! I've always wanted to see Mistral... and I'd really like to meet your mom too." She trailed off. "And OK, yeah. I guess I get your point. Still... this isn't the best first date ever..."

"Technically, it's our second date." Pyrrha pointed out. "And we've had plenty of fun times as a team as well, haven't we?"

Ruby nodded slowly. "I suppose." She looked curious. "I should have asked you what you'd like to do though."

Pyrrha shrugged. "This is fine, honestly, Ruby."

Ruby sighed. "OK. Sorry, I'm just overthinking it."

Pyrrha giggled softly. "That's quite alright."

The two girls were silent for awhile, and Pyrrha considered suggesting that they try and get some sleep when Ruby spoke up again. "Maybe this date hasn't been the most romantic... but... would you like to... um... do something?"

"Do... something?" Pyrrha repeated.

"Something romantic, I mean?" Ruby said, blushing slightly.

Pyrrha blushed as well. "Oh!"

Ruby swallowed. "Sorry, dumb idea..."

Pyrrha shook her head. "No!" She blushed. "I mean... it's not a dumb idea."

Ruby brightened slightly. "It's not?"

Pyrrha licked her lips nervously. "No... I mean, we are dating. And something... romantic might be... nice?"

Ruby giggled. "Was that a question?"

Pyrrha lowered her eyes, unable to look directly at the younger girl right then. "Maybe?" She shook her head. "I mean... yes. Something romantic would be nice. I'm just... nervous."

Ruby nodded. "Me too."

Pyrrha took a deep breath. "Are you sure it'll be alright? Your father might come in."

Ruby shook her head and snorted in amusement. "Dad? No way. He always knocks when we have the door closed, and he never opens the door unless we say it's OK."

Pyrrha licked her lips again. "Well... what... what would you like to do?"

Ruby nodded at the spot next to Pyrrha on Yang's bed. "Can I come over there?" Pyrrha nodded immediately, and Ruby moved over to sit next to her. "Well..." Ruby said slowly. "We could try... making out?"

Pyrrha turned bright red. "Ruby! We haven't even kissed yet!"

Ruby blushed as well. "Then... would you like to kiss me?"

Pyrrha froze, her mouth slightly open. For several long moments, moments that seemed to drag on for minutes, Pyrrha had no response. Her brain seemed to have shut down. Her eyes moved inexorably to Ruby's lips, then up to the younger girl's luminous silver eyes.

"Your eyes are lovely." Pyrrha said quietly.

"Um... thanks." Ruby said quietly. "I like your eyes too. They're very green."

Pyrrha giggled. "Very green?"

Ruby nodded. "They're so bright. I've never seen eyes so bright green before. I really like them."

Pyrrha blushed. "Thank you." She swallowed. "And yes."

Ruby blinked, looking a bit confused. "Yes?"

"Yes. I would like to kiss you." Pyrrha explained.

"Oh." Ruby seemed lost for what to say next. "Good?"

Pyrrha raised an eyebrow. "You don't sound certain of that."

Ruby's eyes went wide. "Oh I am! Certain, I mean!" She blushed. "I've been wondering what it'd be like for... for a while now."

Pyrrha smiled softly. "Let's find out, shall we?" She started leaning in.

Ruby swallowed but tilted her face upwards, and closed her eyes.

Pyrrha hesitated for a moment, then reached around carefully and took Ruby's head in her hands, then leaned in, brushing her lips against her young partner's. Ruby made a small sound in her throat, and she opened her lips slightly, turned her head just a fraction, and met Pyrrha's lips firmly with her own.

Pyrrha pulled back a few moments later, letting Ruby's head go. "Was... was that alright?" Her whole body seemed to vibrate with nervous tension. She felt as if she was about to break out into a sweat. She fought to keep from breathing fast.

Ruby opened her eyes, her face flushed, and she smiled. "That was nice. Can we do it again?"

Pyrrha felt warmth flush throughout her body. She smiled back. "We certainly can." Once again she took Ruby's head in her hands, and again she leaned in to place a gentle kiss on Ruby's lips.

"Hey girls, I made hot chocolate!" Tai announced as he pushed open the door.

Pyrrha's hands flew up and away from Ruby's head, and Ruby shrieked and dove off of the bed to the floor.

Tai stood there in the doorway, a tray with two cups of steaming hot chocolate upon it resting on one large palm while the other held the door open. He opened his mouth and closed it a couple times. "Er... sorry!" He said finally. "I'll just... leave these in the kitchen."

"Dad!" Ruby yelled, coming up over the side of the bed with fury in her eyes. "Knock first!"

Tai chuckled nervously. "Sorry kiddo. The door was ajar, and I'd just made coco..."

"What if we'd been naked?" Ruby said angrily.

Tai blinked. "Was that a possibility?"

Ruby blinked twice, then turned bright red and buried her face in her hands. "No... but..."

Tai chuckled. "Anyway, I'll knock next time. Sorry about that." He held up the tray. "So... would you like that hot chocolate anyway?"

Ruby was growling. "Dad...!"

Pyrrha interrupted her. "Yes... please. Hot chocolate before bed sounds lovely."

Tai nodded, grinning impudently at his daughter as he stepped into the room, holding out the tray towards Pyrrha. Pyrrha nodded, composing her expression and took one of the two mugs. He held the tray out in the direction of his youngest daughter.

"Fine." Ruby got to her feet and took the other mug, then went to sit back down on her own bed. "Just because hot chocolate is yummy doesn't mean I'm not still mad at you."

Tai chuckled again. "Duly noted." He took the tray under his arm and left the room smoothly, closing the door behind him. "Don't have too much fun now, kiddo!"

"DAD!" Ruby shrieked, mortified. She put the mug down on her bedside dresser and rolled over to bury her face in her pillow. "OK, kill me now. Let me jump back in time and rewrite today please?" She waited a minute. "No? Stupid time travel powers never working when you want them too." She muttered.

Pyrrha was torn between laughing and wanting to burst into flames from embarrassment. She settled for drinking her hot chocolate. It was good.

/-/

By unspoken consensus, they'd gone to bed shortly after that. Pyrrha woke as the first sliver of light came in through the bedroom window, and she quietly dressed in a tank top, shorts and running shoes, and headed down to the first floor, intending to head out on an early morning jog.

Tai was in the kitchen, and he waved her over as she came down the stairs. "Want some breakfast?" He asked Pyrrha politely.

"I think I'll have a run first, if that's alright." Pyrrha said with equal politeness.

Tai nodded. "If you're not carrying weapons, you might want to stick to the trail into town and back. I cleared out the local Grimm a couple of days ago, but better safe than sorry." He looked around the kitchen, then whistled once. "Zwei!" After a few moments, the Corgi came running into the kitchen, his eyes bright. Tai pointed to Pyrrha. "Guard." Zwei barked once, and zipped over to stand close by Pyrrha's right foot.

Pyrrha blinked. "Um... what is happening?"

Tai nodded at the dog. "Let Zwei come with you. If there are any Grimm, Zwei can distract them long enough for you to get clear."

Pyrrha blinked, looking at the tiny dog. "Wouldn't that be dangerous for him?"

Tai laughed cheerfully. "Zwei will be fine. Don't worry about it. He's a hunter's dog, after all."

Pyrrha blinked, then shook her head as if to clear it. "Very well." Privately she decided that if she encountered any Grimm she'd scoop up the dog and run for it. It was ridiculous to think that such a small animal could fend off even the smallest of Grimm. She nodded once more to Tai. "I'll be back in half an hour." She headed out through the kitchen door, and was jogging away swiftly before she'd gone more than a few steps, Zwei running just behind and to her right, easily keeping up with her. Tai watched her go, looking thoughtful.

Ruby came downstairs ten minutes later, yawning and stretching and looking sleepy. "Where's Pyrrha?" She asked curiously.

"Out for a jog." Tai answered with a small smile. "I told her to stick to the trail between here and town."

Ruby nodded, and sat at the kitchen table. "What's for breakfast?"

Tai chuckled and went to the refrigerator, pulling out ingredients. "How about eggs and bacon?" He looked curiously at Ruby. "Will that be alright with Pyrrha?"

Ruby nodded. "I think so. She seems to like everything."

Tai hummed to himself, and started moving around, preparing to cook. "So..." He began casually. "How long has this been going on?"

Ruby blinked. "This?"

"You and Pyrrha, I mean." Tai clarified. "I was under the impression that you were dating Miss Belladonna?"

Ruby looked thunderstruck. "How did you know about me dating Blake?"

Tai raised an eyebrow. "The Belladonna's might have mentioned it. They seemed pleased..." he frowned. "Don't tell me you already dumped her?"

Ruby shook her head. "No! No, it's not like that!"

Tai looked dubious. "No? What's it like then?"

Ruby frowned. "It's complicated..."

Tai chuckled. "I bet it is."

Ruby sighed. "It was Yang's idea..."

Tai raised an eyebrow. "Oh? What was Yang's idea?"

Ruby shrugged helplessly. "Yang said I should date both of them."

Tai blinked. "And you thought that would be a good idea?"

Ruby winced. "It seemed like a good idea at the time?"

Tai laughed. "Ruby... Ruby, Ruby. When did you start taking after me so much? I thought Yang might end up trying something like that, but you?"

Ruby blinked. "Taking after you? What do you mean?"

Tai swallowed. "Er... forget I said that."

Ruby started grinning. "Oh no. I heard you. You dated two girls at the same time?"

Tai winced. "Well, practically. I mean, you know about Raven and Summer..."

Ruby blinked. "You had Yang with Raven, then you married Summer after Raven left...?"

Tai nodded. "Yeah."

Ruby frowned. "That's not dating two girls at the same time."

Tai wrinkled his nose. "Well, Beacon was... interesting. And a lot can happen in four years."

Ruby blinked. "Wow."

Tai blushed slightly. "Hey, your old man was pretty popular back in the day, you know."

Ruby giggled. "I guess so!"

Tai shook his head. "But enough about me. What about you? What happened to you and Blake?"

Ruby frowned. "Well, it's kind of a long story."

Tai shrugged. "I've got time."

Ruby sighed and nodded. "Fine. Well... I started to realize that I was interested in girls. And Yang told me that both Blake and Pyrrha were interested in me... and then Pyrrha confessed that she liked me, and then Blake did right after that... but I didn't want them to fight or anything bad to happen to our team so we agreed that we'd try dating and promised not to get mad at each other... and so we've all been taking turns going on dates."

Tai blinked. "Taking turns?"

Ruby nodded. "Right. So Blake and Pyrrha and I went out to dinner together a couple weeks ago. And the next week I took Blake out to the arcade and she took me to the bookstore. And while we were doing that Yang took Pyrrha to a dance club. And this week I brought Pyrrha here, and Yang's taking Blake fishing or something..."

Tai opened his mouth, then closed it, then opened it again. "So you're all going on dates with each other?"

Ruby nodded again. "Yang said it was the best way to figure out who we liked the best. Everybody goes on one date with everybody else. Pyrrha and Blake are going on a date next week." Tai raised an eyebrow and Ruby quickly continued. "Yang and I are just going to hang out that weekend. Sister bonding, you know."

Tai looked thoughtful, and he went back to his cooking as he thought about it. "Honestly..." He finally said. "That seems like a pretty smart way to go about it." He admitted. "How's it going?"

Ruby shrugged. "Pretty well, although SOMEBODY interrupted me kissing Pyrrha last night."

Tai chuckled. "Sorry about that. If you'd let me know to stay clear I could have given you some privacy."

Ruby looked curious. "Would you really do that?"

Tai nodded. "Yeah. I don't want you to have to sneak around behind my back. If you're willing to let me know ahead of time, I'm willing to give you as much space as you need."

Ruby looked like she was torn between being happy and being embarrassed. "It was our first kiss, by the way." She muttered. "We haven't done anything else."

Tai flinched. "Ouch. Sorry about that."

Ruby sighed. "Well, technically our second kiss. You missed our first by about thirty seconds."

Tai laughed. "Well, that's a LITTLE better."

"Not much better." Ruby growled.

Tai shrugged and continued working at the stove. "Sorry kiddo. I honestly had no idea you'd be putting the moves on your teammate last night." He glanced over his shoulder. "It was you putting the moves on her, I assume?"

Ruby blushed. "Why would you assume that?"

Tai shrugged. "Xiao-Long genetics?"

Ruby sighed. "If you must know, I asked her to kiss me. Pyrrha isn't pushing things. Actually, Blake and Pyrrha are both kind of letting me take the lead the whole time."

Tai nodded. "Good. Not that I don't trust your teammates... but they are both two years older than you are."

"They're only seventeen." Ruby protested.

Tai nodded easily. "And from what I've seen so far, they seem like good girls. But I'm glad they're letting you set the pace. That's how it should be."

Ruby sighed. "I guess."

Tai looked curious. "What's wrong, kiddo?"

Ruby shook her head. "I just... how do I figure out which one I like the best?"

Tai laughed. "You're asking me?" He shook his head. "You'll know when you know. I think you've got the right idea. Spending time with them, getting to know them... you'll figure it out." He shook his head. "How did Yang get mixed up in this?"

Ruby shrugged. "Xiao-Long genetics?"

/-/

Pyrrha came into the kitchen a few minutes later, slightly flushed with a slight sheen of sweat on her brow, Zwei came in just behind her, looking fresh and ready to go for another run. Ruby licked her lips, taking a good long look at the tall, leggy amazon in her tank top and shorts and couldn't help appreciate the view. Zwei circled around Ruby a couple times trying to get her attention, but for once the Corgi was all but ignored.

Tai gestured to the table. "We've got eggs and bacon if you're hungry, Pyrrha." He said graciously. "How would you like your eggs?"

"Scrambled please?" Pyrrha said with a grateful smile. "Thank you. It already smells wonderful in here."

She sat at the table and Tai quickly cooked a large serving of scrambled eggs, sliding a good portion of bacon, already cooked, on the side of the large ceramic plate.

"Anything to drink? Milk? Orange Juice?"

"Orange Juice would be lovely, thank you Mister Xiao... Tai."

Tai poured Pyrrha a tall glass of orange juice and sat down opposite her and Ruby with his own heavily laden plate.

Pyrrha ate swiftly, hungry from her run. Tai was only slightly more restrained, the large man eating with a cheerful expression on his face.

When she had finished, she stood up and collected Ruby's plate and utensils and walked to the sink. "I'll wash up." She said firmly. "I insist."

Tai finished eating and handed Pyrrha his own plate and utensils without complaint, then stood up, collected all the cups and placed them in the sink for her. "Good manners." He commented, glancing at Ruby with a playful expression. "I approve, Ruby. You can keep her."

Pyrrha chuckled. "Am I a pet now?"

Tai grinned back at her. "I thought you were a girlfriend, but if that's what you're calling it..."

Pyrrha blushed and nodded. "Girlfriend... yes."

Tai nodded. "Apparently you're dating my oldest daughter as well?"

Pyrrha choked, shooting a shocked look at Ruby, who shrugged helplessly.

"Yes...?" Pyrrha said tentatively. "It's a bit complicated..." She tried to explain.

Tai smiled disarmingly. "Don't worry, I'm not about to bite your head off. Ruby explained. You're going on dates to figure out who you all like best, right?"

Pyrrha nodded slowly. "That is the general idea, yes."

Tai raised an eyebrow. "How do you feel about that?"

Pyrrha blinked, then took a few moments, looking thoughtful. "Well... to be honest, I think it was a good idea. Blake and I both... well, we both found ourselves interested in Ruby, but we didn't want to take the chance of hurting the team... or harming the friendships we've formed. So Yang and Ruby suggested we all go on dates. So we all figure out who we're compatible with. We all agreed not to let this hurt our friendships, or the team, and we're all being very careful..."

Tai nodded. "Well, I think you girls are being very mature about it. It would be a shame for your team to have problems because you're dating."

Pyrrha nodded back. "I value my friendship with Blake... and Yang and Ruby as well. I don't want to lose that with any of them."

Tai sighed. "It can be tough, mixing romance and friendship like that. Not to mention trying to keep a team together. I hope you do better than my team did."

Pyrrha took a deep breath. "We're going to try and take it slow, sir..." Tai raised an eyebrow at her, and she sighed. "I mean, Tai."

Tai grinned when she used his first name. "Good. I'm sorry about interrupting last night. Next time, I'll give you girls your privacy. I know how hard it can be trying to get some privacy at school."

Pyrrha blinked, then blushed. "Um... thank you... Tai. I appreciate the gesture. Not that we... we haven't. I mean, we weren't going to..."

Tai chuckled. "Don't worry. I was a teenager myself once, you know? Just let me know when you'd like some privacy, and I'll give you girls your space. I'd rather you don't have to sneak around behind my back. Less headaches that way."

Pyrrha continued to blush, but nodded. "Yes... yes. I... yes. Thank you."

Ruby took pity on her girlfriend. "We'll let you know, dad."

Tai stood up from the breakfast table and stretched. "So. You've been teaching my girls some hand to hand combat, I hear?"

Pyrrha blinked. "Er. Yes. Well, mostly Ruby. Yang is already quite proficient."

Tai grinned. "I'd hope so by now. I hear you're quite the prodigy."

Pyrrha frowned. "I don't know if I'd go that far. And Ruby is really the one who deserves that title. Getting into Beacon two years early is no small feat. I have no doubt she'll surpass me by the time she's my age."

Tai raised an eyebrow. "You don't have to be shy, Pyrrha. I've seen some of your fights. They don't call you the Invincible Girl for nothing."

Pyrrha winced visibly. "I... yes. I've been fortunate."

Ruby was glowering at him, and Tai took the hint. "Well, all that matters to me is that you're good to my girls... and they obviously seem to like you, so that's good enough for me."

Pyrrha's shoulders relaxed slightly and she smiled a bit more sincerely at him.

"So... how about you show me what you've been teaching my girls?" Tai said cheerfully. "Care for a spar?"

Ruby shot to her feet. "Dad, Pyrrha doesn't have to...!"

Pyrrha slowly stood, putting a hand gently on Ruby's shoulder. "That's fine. I'd be happy to oblige."

Tai hesitated. "You don't need to feel obligated, Pyrrha..."

Pyrrha stood straighter, her smile genuine. "No, I'd be happy for a match. Yang is a wonderful fighter, I can't deny I'm interested in seeing the original."

Tai grinned. "Great. Why don't you grab your weapons and meet me out back?"

Pyrrha smiled. "You wanted to see what I am teaching Ruby. How about a straight unarmed match?"

Tai blinked. "Sure. We can do that."

Ruby winced, waiting till her dad had walked into the main part of the house to whisper. "Pyrrha... dad's main style is unarmed. He doesn't use a weapon."

Rather than be intimidated, Pyrrha looked interested. "All the better." She said with a grin.

Half a minute later, Pyrrha, still in her jogging clothes, stood across the yard from Taiyang Xiao-Long, and gave him a short bow. "Please excuse my poor technique. I look forward to learning from you." She told him, her eyes glinting.

Taiyang gave her a polite bow back, then got into a fighting stance. "I'll do my best not to disappoint."

* * *

**I apologize about the long delay between chapters. This one gave me some headaches, and my personal life has been insane recently, leaving very little time for writing.  
**

**I'm already working on the next chapter, so there shouldn't be such a long gap this time before we get back to the action. Next time, Pyrrha vs Tai! Who will win? Also, Blake vs Fish! Who will win? Probably Blake.**


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

Pyrrha kept her guard up, watching Taiyang intently, she slowly started to move to the right, circling around the older huntsman while analyzing his stance and guard.

Tai kept his hands up near his face as he slowly moved to face her, his stance shifted slightly as he moved, revealing no openings. His technique seemed very similar to Yang's, minus the reliance on shotgun gauntlets, but before she could analyze him further, he suddenly shot forward with a left hook, covering the distance between them in an instant.

Pyrrha blocked with her right forearm and had to block a punch from his right hand with her left elbow a split second later, leaving her no room for a counter. She ducked under a roundhouse kick, then ducked further and rolled as Tai spun in the air right over top of her. He landed on his feet and came back at her so fast that she barely managed to get back upright before he reached her. She blocked a straight right, then ducked another roundhouse kick, then surged forward, ramming her shoulder into his side before he could fully regain his balance and attempting a grapple.

Tai took the hit without flinching and easily broke free of her arms, then sent her flying with a twist that had her spinning into the ground to land sprawling a couple body lengths away.

Pyrrha kept rolling for distance, spinning her legs like a top above her to keep Tai from coming in after her and kicked up to a standing position again a moment later, but Tai hadn't followed, remaining where he'd been when he'd tossed her.

"Not bad." Tai said cheerfully. "I take it you're used to having a strength advantage over your opponents?"

Pyrrha started circling again, her eyes never leaving Tai's center of mass. "Usually, although Yang is a bit stronger than I am."

"But her balance still needs work, I take it?" Tai guessed.

Pyrrha blinked. "You figured that out just from ten seconds of sparring with me?"

Tai shrugged, staying in his own stance as he slowly turned to keep her in front of him. "That exchange was pretty typical for me and Yang, actually, except you were quick to try and capitalize on my being off balance from that kick. Yang probably falls for that."

Pyrrha chuckled. "She does. Most of the time, anyway. She's been getting better about not letting her guard down though."

Tai nodded. "That's good. I can already see that you're an excellent sparring partner for her."

Pyrrha smiled. "Thank you for the complement. But I don't believe we're finished with our own match quite yet?"

Tai grinned. "No, no we are not." Again he moved first, leaping forward with a huge spinning roundhouse kick. It seemed to start out slow... a huge, overdone move that screamed at Pyrrha to dart forward and strike him while he was off guard. She obeyed her intuition, only for Tai to tighten the spin and change the direction his kick was coming from in mid-spin, leaving Pyrrha no room to dodge out of the way. She blocked with both arms, staggered by the weight of the blow but managed to keep her feet, barely.

Tai landed easily and surged forward into her guard. Pyrrha brought up her hands to block and caught both an elbow and a punch that were coming in simultaneously, and for a moment they were in a clinch, both straining against the other. Tai was stronger, and with a shove, forced her back a step, while at the same time took a big step forward and hooked her right leg, sending her sprawling to the ground again.

Tai walked away as Pyrrha's back hit the ground with a thump. Rather than roll immediately to her feet, Pyrrha took the reprieve for what it was, resting for a moment as she thought about their recent exchange.

"You're overextending on purpose." Pyrrha accused. "Making it look like you're off balance in order to draw in my attacks where you want them."

Tai turned to face her, half a dozen yards away now, and grinned. "You are good... it took Yang weeks to figure that out." He spread his hands wide. "So. What are you going to do about it?"

Pyrrha rolled easily to her feet, getting into a ready stance once more. "I'm going to stop letting you control the flow of the fight."

Tai nodded. "OK. So do it."

Pyrrha charged forward in a dead sprint, leaping into the air the instant before she reached Tai, her right knee leading with a blow headed straight for the bigger man's chin. Tai blocked the knee, driving Pyrrha back to earth, only for Pyrrha to use that momentum to go into a low spin, attempting to take Tai's legs out from under him with a sweep. Tai leapt over Pyrrha's sweep only for Pyrrha to launch herself into the air after him, smashing her shoulder into his torso. Tai went for a grapple, but this time Pyrrha was faster, bringing her arms up to defend her upper body as she kicked Tai in the middle of the chest, sending the two of them apart. Tai spun away, going even higher as Pyrrha's kick brought her to the ground, and she was already sprinting forward, launching herself into a huge side thrust kick before Tai could reach the ground himself.

Somehow, Tai blocked Pyrrha's kick, but that sent him flying even further, and he barely managed to land on his feet. Pyrrha was already charging in again, and she leapt into the air once more, lashing out with half a dozen snap kicks aimed for Tai's face while still in mid air. The kicks bled off her momentum, but Pyrrha wasn't done, bringing an elbow down on Tai's knee as he tried to launch her away with a kick of his own and comboing that into a punch for his throat which he barely caught in his palm.

Tai's and Pyrrha's feet hit the ground at the same time and they strained for a moment, Pyrrha trying to shove the back of Tai's blocking hand into his throat with a stiffened forearm, putting her whole body into the motion. Tai let her push him back, and nearly missed her sweeping his leg as he let himself be forced back.

He grunted as he stiffened the leg Pyrrha was trying to sweep, taking the hit there but not going down, and he shoved back, stepping into her guard and throwing an elbow for her face. Pyrrha caught that in her free hand and the two of them strained for a moment, both trying to gain the advantage. Pyrrha had the better position, but Tai's superior strength was too much. Slowly, Pyrrha was forced backward. Pyrrha abruptly surrendered the uneven struggle and leapt away again, back-flipping to avoid another kick from Tai as he followed her closely.

Pyrrha landed on her toes and launched herself into the air again, reversing her momentum almost instantly and crossing her forearms in front of her to try and ram herself into Tai's face. Somehow, Tai managed to brace and catch her crossed arms on his own, but instead of falling back, Pyrrha flipped forward, grabbing onto his forearms as she flipped behind him. With a grunt, she threw Tai into the air as her feet touched down behind him, throwing the larger man spinning into the air. She leaped up after him as he flew through the air, somehow catching up to him in midair and striking out with a series of kicks.

On any normal opponent, that would have ended it. Being flipped like that would have lowered their guard and Pyrrha would have gotten in half a dozen good body blows at least... possibly stunning her opponent long enough to body slam them into the ground with her on top of them as a finisher.

But Tai blocked her kicks with elbows and knees even as he used her strikes to bleed off the momentum of his spin, then drove a powerful drop kick into her stomach which sent her crashing into the ground a moment before he himself landed, a couple body lengths from Pyrrha, and still on his feet.

Pyrrha lay motionless for several long moments, gasping for breath where Tai's kick had driven the air out of her lungs despite her aura's protection. Tai stood calmly and waited for her to recover, and Pyrrha recognized that he could have easily moved in and finished her off in the time it took her to regain her feet.

Pyrrha stood and raised one hand. "It's my loss." She admitted, then smiled. "That was magnificent, Tai! Truly wonderful."

Tai laughed. "You're not so bad yourself, Pyrrha. I can see how you got your reputation."

Pyrrha's smile faded slightly, but she shook it off and beamed at him. "Thank you so much for the match."

Tai put a hand behind his head and chuckled self consciously. "My pleasure. It was fun."

Pyrrha's heart was hammering in her chest. She had lost! And it had been wonderful! Tai was an incredible fighter. She watched him scratch the back of his head in the same adorable manner that Ruby did, and it felt like her heart skipped a beat. Her face went beet red as she realized she was suddenly incredibly attracted to the older man.

Ruby raced up then, tackling Pyrrha in a hug. "Wow Pyrrha! That was awesome! You were all whoosh, and bang and dad flew into the air and you were all zoom and crash!" Pyrrha kept her feet easily as she absorbed the impact of Ruby's tackle and hugged her back, burying her face in the smaller girl's hair for a moment to hide her blush. Ruby kept babbling. "And wow, I really thought you were going to win there for a second. You were amazing!"

Pyrrha took several deep breaths, incidentally getting a good smell of Ruby's hair, and whatever floral shampoo she must be using, and forced herself calm. In a matter of moments, she had regained her professional calm, and she gave Ruby a gentle smile as she slowly disengaged from the smaller girl's embrace.

"It was quite invigorating." Pyrrha found herself saying, and did her best not to let her internal wince at her phrasing show on her face.

"I'd say. You really gave me a run for my money there, Pyrrha." Taiyang commented, looking cheerful. "I've got no complaints about you teaching Ruby after that. Actually, if you're sparring with Yang regularly, I'd better step up my game, or she'll be kicking my ass in a year or two."

Ruby stuck out her tongue at her father. "Wait and see. Maybe I'll beat you one of these days."

Taiyang shrugged agreeably. "Between Pyrrha here and Glynda, I wouldn't be surprised if you surpass me someday, kiddo."

Ruby grinned. "How about I show you what I've learned so far?"

Tai agreed cheerfully, but Pyrrha excused herself. "Well, I'm going to go take a shower." She told them. "I've certainly gotten my exercise in for the day." She entered the house, leaving father and daughter behind her, and muttered quietly. "A long shower."

/-/

Blake watched the bobber slowly dip up and down on the surface of the water with laser-like focus. The slow movement was almost mesmerizing, but what she was really waiting for was for the movement to change. For that enticing signal that told her that a fish was nibbling on her bait.

The bobber suddenly dipped slightly, moving out of sequence to the movement of the water, and Blake's whole body tightened in anticipation. It twitched in the water, once, twice... three times, and Blake's cat ears twitched almost in sympathy with the little plastic ball. Then the ball went under the water so suddenly Blake nearly jumped, but that was what she'd been waiting for. She started reeling in her line quickly, but not frantically, attempting to do so as smoothly as possible at first so as to not dislodge her catch from the hook.

She felt the resistance on the line, and it felt like her skin was tingling with the thrill of the catch. Slowly but surely she reeled in her prey, till finally, she pulled it out of the water with an unmerciful finality. Beside her, Yang whooped and quickly darted in with a net, scooping up the fish from below as it left the surface of the water.

"And that's lunch!" Yang said triumphantly. "You've gotten really good at this, Kitten!"

Blake turned back to her partner with a smile. "It's fun. Thanks for teaching me, Yang."

"Anytime." Yang answered easily. "Why don't I take care of lunch while you finish packing up? I already packed up all of my stuff while you were fishing."

Blake hesitated. "I can at least gut and clean the fish for you..." she offered, but Yang shrugged it off.

"Eh, it's no big deal." The blond brawler said easily. "You can get the next one."

Blake nodded and headed back to where they'd slept the night before. She blushed slightly as she remembered the previous night.

She'd quickly fallen in love with the simple joy of fishing the previous afternoon, and she'd started to really get the hang of it after only a couple hours. She'd caught several nice trout, but, at Yang's insistence, had let the smaller ones go back into the river. Yang had fried the two biggest ones she'd caught, and, hungry from their exertions killing Grimm earlier that day, they'd devoured both. The fish had been delicious. Then they'd sat by the campfire and talked. Little things, sharing stories from their childhood. It had been peaceful. Then Yang had pulled out the tent and sleeping bags that Shiro had lent them, and, after laying down a simple tarp, had gone about zipping the two sleeping bags together into one.

Blake could still remember the look on the blond brawler's face when she'd glanced shyly at Blake, asking her if it was alright if they shared body heat that night.

Blake could also remember blushing pink at the suggestion, but she'd agreed. Yang had crawled in first, and Blake had gotten in beside her. Yang had, after asking permission, moved up behind Blake and held her from behind. It'd been nice, being held. Yang had then asked if she could remove Blake's bow, and Blake had again agreed. She'd gone to sleep that night, held in Yang's arms, feeling the larger girl's chin on the top of her head. It had been sweet, but Blake had been nervous at first. Nervous and excited. Part of her wondered if Yang wanted to go further. Part of her was perfectly willing to let her. Blake wondered where the part of her was that wasn't ready yet, but that part of her didn't seem to be paying attention that night for some reason. Nevertheless, after about a half hour, it became obvious that Yang wasn't going to try for anything more, and Blake had fallen asleep in her arms.

She'd woken the next morning to the feeling of Yang's fingers in her hair, and gently rubbing her ears. She'd purred lightly. It wasn't completely involuntary on her part. She could have resisted the urge to do so, but she didn't. She was happy, and she wanted Yang to know that.

Yang had eventually stopped petting her and Blake had turned around and sat up, practically straddling her blond teammate, and impulsively, she'd darted forward to catch Yang's lips on her own, giving her a quick but heartfelt kiss.

Yang's breath had caught in her throat, but after a startled moment, she'd grabbed the back of Blake's head as Blake had been starting to retreat and pulled her in for a second kiss, and a third. Flushed and overheated, wanting more but also not wanting to push too hard too fast, Blake had broken free and retreated slightly. Yang looked worried for a moment, but relaxed as Blake smiled at her.

They'd separated then, and hadn't mentioned the kiss, but as Blake finished packing her things, she hesitated on her bow. The ribbon had been there, concealing her ears from the world for years now. Even as a part of the White Fang, Blake had often worn it, especially when they were going anywhere public. That hadn't changed. Even though she'd finally started going without it while in the sanctuary of Beacon, she still wore it religiously when outside the school grounds. But... part of her didn't want to put it back on. Yang liked her ears. Yang liked her the way she was, and didn't like that she felt she had to hide. Yang would protect her from anyone who gave her any trouble for being a faunus. Not that Blake needed protection, but...

Blake stuffed the ribbon into her bag and finished packing, then joined Yang at the fire. Yang had gotten it started again easily, and already had the cleaned and gutted fish Blake had caught sizzling on a stick suspended over the flames by an improvised spit that Yang had cobbled together the night before.

Blake moved over to sit next to Yang, and leaned against her lightly as the muscular girl slowly turned the roasting fish. It smelled wonderful. Blake noted that Yang smelled pretty good too, despite not having had the chance to shower since the previous day. Wood-smoke and fish and the faintest hint of sweat... not unpleasant, but the scent of a decent workout, combined in her mind into a scent that Blake would remember for years to come.

Yang glanced once at Blake's uncovered ears, but didn't comment. She finished cooking the fish and again, it was somehow one of the most delicious things she'd ever eaten. Was it the fact that she'd caught it herself? Was it Yang's skill at campfire cooking? Or just the overall feeling of the day being just right. Blake wasn't sure. She wasn't sure she really cared.

Shiro had come, as promised, around four that afternoon. She and Yang had done one final patrol of the island before he'd arrived to make certain all the Grimm were gone, and they'd reported as much to him as they climbed aboard his small vessel for the trip back.

Shiro had also glanced once at her revealed ears but hadn't commented on it either. He was cheerful and chatty on the way back. Pleased with the possibilities that the cleared island would present for his business in the near future, and already planning some fishing tours of the area for some wealthy local businessmen who were regular customers of his.

They'd parted on good terms with the man, promising to visit again in the future, perhaps with their entire team, and they'd climbed aboard Yang's bike for the return trip.

Blake left her ribbon off the rest of the day. If anyone else stared at her on the way home, she didn't notice.

/-/

Yang and Blake came back to their room to find Ruby and Pyrrha had just gotten home themselves.

"Hey, how'd your date go, sis?" Yang asked with boisterous humor. Ruby had flushed slightly in embarrassment, causing Yang's eyebrows to raise. "OK, this I've got to hear!" Yang put an arm around Ruby's back and guided her out of the room, tossing her bag on her bed as she left. "Don't wait up you two! It's sister bonding time!"

When the sisters had gone, Blake raised an eyebrow at Pyrrha. "It went well, I take it?"

Pyrrha laughed nervously. "I suppose you could say that."

Blake looked interested. "Want to tell me about it?"

Pyrrha hesitated, then sighed. "I suppose." She sat down on her bed, and Blake sat down on her own, facing the Mistrailian champion with an interested expression.

"What was Mister Xiao-Long like in person?" Blake asked curiously.

Pyrrha blushed. "He was... very kind. And understanding. He... sort of caught us in the middle of kissing last night, and everything sort of came out all at once. But apparently he's OK with it."

Blake blinked. "You two were kissing?"

Pyrrha nodded slowly, looking nervous. "Yes? Is that alright? It was only the one. Well, two, but Tai interrupted the second one."

Blake chuckled. "Well, that must have been awkward." She waved a hand. "It's fine. You two kissing, I mean. I said so earlier, didn't I?"

Pyrrha nodded slowly. "You did. I just wanted to be sure."

Blake took a deep breath and nodded. "It's fine. You don't mind if I ask Ruby for a kiss at some point, do you?"

Pyrrha quickly shook her head. "No. That's fine."

Blake grinned slightly. "Besides, I kissed Yang this morning."

Pyrrha's eyes went wide, and she smiled. "How was it?"

Blake smiled back. "It was good. Yang's a good kisser. She... she was petting my ears when I woke up, and I just kind of impulsively kissed her."

"Good date then?" Pyrrha asked rhetorically.

Blake nodded. "Yeah. A lot better than I thought it'd be, actually. I kind of really like fishing."

Pyrrha giggled. "What a shocker, right?"

Blake rolled her eyes. "Yes yes... a cat who likes fish. Hilarious."

Pyrrha sobered. "Sorry... just... you do really like fish."

Blake sighed. "Yes. Yes I do." She looked up at the ceiling. "It's not just that. It's like a game... waiting for your prey to bite... and..." She shrugged helplessly. "It's a lot of fun. Yang's a really good cook too. She cooked dinner that night and breakfast the next morning from the fish I caught. She's really good with camping out too."

Pyrrha nodded appreciatively. "That'll come in handy when we go on extended missions in the field."

Blake looked at Pyrrha with wide eyes. "Do you think we'll stick together like that? I mean, we'll be a team after Beacon?"

Pyrrha blinked. "Well, I was actually thinking of our second and third year missions. Those can go for extended periods outside the walls, you know?"

Blake nodded. "Oh. Yeah. Right."

Pyrrha smiled. "But to answer your question... yes. I can easily picture us staying together after we leave Beacon. Ruby pointed out to me that ours is a very dangerous career. But it's safer for teams. Solo hunters do die quite a bit more often than ones who hunt as a group. And while most Grimm contracts don't really require a full team... perhaps... perhaps it would be good to stay together regardless of that?"

Blake nodded slowly. "Yeah. I think that would be good."

Pyrrha looked at the floor. "I don't want Ruby... or Yang, to lose anyone else if I can help it. And, I'm starting to realize that includes me. I need to stay alive as well."

Blake nodded firmly. "Damn right you do."

Pyrrha hugged herself. "I'm so scared right now, Blake."

Blake hesitated, then moved over to sit next to Pyrrha on the champion's bed. "Talk to me, Pyrrha."

"I'm so confused." She waved her hand at the room. "I don't know what's happening to me. Before came to Beacon, I never felt... drawn to anyone before. Not the way I feel about Ruby... and... and Yang... and... gods, after sparring with Taiyang I ran straight for the shower. My god is that man attractive!"

Blake started laughing. "Yang warned us, didn't she? Taking after their dad... both of them." She looked interested. "Is he really that hot?"

Pyrrha groaned. "It is totally unfair how much sex appeal they have. Yang and her father both."

Blake looked curious. "And Ruby?"

Pyrrha thought about it. "I... she's very cute. And I am drawn to her. I can't deny that."

Blake nodded. "Yeah. She's got this energy to her. This magnetism. She's so selfless, and driven, and I want to be part of that."

Pyrrha nodded firmly. "Yes! Yes. I think if Ruby pointed at a random mountain top and shouted. 'let's go!' every person in earshot would start scrambling to find their climbing gear."

Blake laughed. "I know, right?"

"We're doomed." Pyrrha said with a hint of a laugh in her voice.

"We're totally doomed." Blake agreed easily. "No hope whatsoever."

"Ah well." Pyrrha sighed.

"But what a way to go." Blake continued.

"I know, right?" Pyrrha agreed. Then both girls broke down into helpless laughter.

/-/

Things went, mostly, back to normal for the rest of the week for team RPBY. Classes went as usual. Monday afternoon the four of them found themselves once more on Blake's bed, cuddled in a pile, taking turns reading from the fantasy novel Ruby had picked out during her date with Blake two weekends prior. Tuesday, they were spending time in one of the combat rooms, doing team training and some more unarmed combat practice with team WJNR.

On Wednesday afternoon, the remaining parts to do Magnhild's modifications came in, and Ruby, Nora and Weiss were working in the school metal shop for the rest of the afternoon and evening, putting it together. When Ruby came back in, very late that night, she was so excited that she woke up her whole team. They forgave her.

Thursday afternoon, it was time to test Magnhild's new modifications out. Everyone gathered around in the combat room, watching Nora with a mix of excitement and trepidation.

"Is it just me, or is the thought of a super charged Nora more than a little terrifying?" Jack Spriggan whispered to Ren.

Ren snorted. "It's not just you."

Nora brought her hammer off her back with a heady giggle. "This is going to be the most awesomest thing ever!" She announced gleefully. "Who wants to die first? I mean... go first?" She asked, her eyes already practically sparkling with anticipation. No one immediately volunteered. Nora laughed. "Are you all scared of me now?"

"A little, yeah." Yang admitted.

"I'll be glad to help." Pyrrha offered, stepping forward. "But I won't go easy on you."

"That's just the way I like it!" Nora agreed quickly. "Let's do this thing!" She clicked a button on Magnhild, causing the entire hammer to spark with electricity. Nora's eyes glowed, and the charge arced through her muscles, and she shivered. "Oh YEAH! That's the stuff!" She roared, and charged.

Pyrrha dodged Nora's first wild swing, and the second. Nora was handling her hammer with greater speed and strength then ever before, and Pyrrha wasn't certain that she could afford to take even a single hit from the massive weapon the way Nora was slinging it around now, but she did her best to dart in and out, dodging Nora's swings and chipping bits off of Nora's aura with surgical strikes whenever she could find an opening. Finding an opening was getting harder and harder as Nora's speed increased further, however, and a glancing blow that Pyrrha deflected on her shield still numbed her shoulder and sent jolts of electricity through her even from the momentary deflection.

Pyrrha staggered back, and leapt clear just in time as Nora attempted to capitalize on Pyrrha's momentary weakness. Pyrrha stopped holding back and started using her semblance more and more to force Nora's swings off target, and got in several more good hits, but Nora seemed immune to pain, even though her Aura was steadily dropping with Pyrrha's attacks. And... in fact, it seemed to be dropping slowly even when Pyrrha wasn't scoring hits. Pyrrha's aura was barely still in the green, but Nora's had just dipped into the yellow.

Ren was frowning. "Nora! Stop! I think that's enough."

Pyrrha started to back off. "Yes, that was very good..."

Nora's eyes were glazed, but she seemed to realize that Pyrrha wasn't fighting, and she lowered her hammer... then she twitched violently, and fell flat on her face, the electricity from Magnhild still sparking through her body.

"What's happening?!" Weiss shouted.

"Get her away from her hammer!" Yang yelled.

"Don't touch her! You'll be electrocuted too!" Jack broke in.

Pyrrha solved the problem by using her semblance to jerk Magnhild away from under Nora's twitching body. The arcs of electricity ran up and down Nora's body for several long seconds even after Magnhild was out of her grasp, but eventually they subsided. Meanwhile, Pyrrha carefully switched Magnhild off, so that the weapon was safe to pick up, while Ren and Weiss rushed over to their teammate as soon as Nora stopped emitting visible sparks of electricity.

Ren grimaced as a shock went through him as soon as he touched Nora, but he frowned and endured it, his Aura flaring as excess electrical current grounded out through his body into the floor. Grunting with pain, he waved Weiss back. "I've got this. Wait till she's fully grounded."

After another minute, Weiss gingerly placed a hand on Nora's back and only received a mild jolt. "OK, she's stable. Ren, Jack, help me get her to the infirmary."

Pyrrha stepped forward immediately, leaving Nora's weapon behind. "I'll help carry her."

The four of them carried Nora swiftly from the room, heading for the school infirmary at a jog, and Yang took a moment to scoop up Magnhild and follow.

Ruby remained behind, and as her big sister followed the others out of the room at a run, she slumped bonelessly against a wall. "This was my fault..." she whispered.

"It wasn't." Blake told her quietly, sitting down next to the petite girl. "It really wasn't."

"It was my idea!" Ruby wailed. "Don't tell me it wasn't my fault!"

"Nora loved the idea. Heck, everyone thought it was a good idea." Blake said, dismissing Ruby's concerns. "And it worked. I... don't know for sure, but... I'm guessing Nora has an upper limit to how much electricity she can safely absorb. You couldn't have known that though."

Ruby hung her head. "I should have thought of that. It was a dumb mistake."

"Then it was a dumb mistake we all made." Blake said softly. "Nobody thought that this could happen. We all just thought it was a great idea."

"But I'm the one who came up with it." Ruby insisted. "I'm the one who insisted it would work. I convinced Nora and Weiss, I did the modifications."

Blake sighed, and hugged Ruby from the side. "Nobody is going to blame you."

Ruby started to softly cry. "I do."

/-/

A half hour later, Blake still sat by Ruby's side, still holding the smaller girl. Ruby had cried herself out, but made no move to leave, and Blake wasn't going to force her. When Professor Ozpin came in, he spotted them almost at once, and he smiled softly at the sight.

Blake startled slightly when she spotted the professor a moment later, surprised to have been surprised, and that got Ruby's attention as well.

"Professor!" Ruby leapt to her feet immediately. "Is Nora alright?" Somehow it never occurred to her that the headmaster had arrived there for any other reason than what had happened to the orange-haired huntress.

Ozpin nodded. "Miss Valkyrie will make a full recovery in time." He said. "Although she will probably be in the infirmary for a number of days yet."

Ruby lowered her head. "It was my fault. Modifying Magnhild was my idea."

Ozpin nodded again. "And a most ingenious one. I'm sure that Miss Valkyrie will find this a valuable lesson."

Ruby sighed. "A lesson not to listen to stupid people..." she muttered.

Ozpin chuckled. "On the contrary. Finding out the limits of our gifts can be an extremely valuable thing to learn. Although perhaps it would have been better for her to have found out in a slightly less... spectacular fashion. As I said, she will recover, and now she knows just how far she can push her semblance. A valuable lesson indeed."

Ruby sighed. "Are you here to expel me?"

Ozpin shook his head. "Not at all. I might advise just a little more caution in experimenting with new weapons, but you are hardly the most reckless experimenter we've had here in these halls. You consulted with your team, and, if I've heard correctly, with the head of Beacon's forge as well. Your theory was sound, and the idea to try it out in one of the combat rooms where miss Valkyrie's Aura could be constantly monitored was a good one. Unfortunately, not even Aura can shield us from everything."

He looked thoughtful. "In the future, I might suggest adding an automatic shut off to the mechanism that electrifies Miss Valkyrie's hammer? In smaller doses, I believe your modifications to her weapon might still be a quite useful addition to Miss Valkyrie's arsenal."

Ruby blinked. "Seriously?"

Ozpin nodded. "In her own words, I believe Miss Valkyrie described the experience as 'totally awesome'. And from the footage, I did notice a decided increase in her speed and strength. For as long as it lasted, anyway. With some modifications, and so long as she doesn't over use it, I believe your modification will be of use to her. Certainly she will be a terror to her opponents in the upcoming tournament. I'm quite looking forward to it."

Blake put a hand on Ruby's shoulder encouragingly.

Ruby just stared at Ozpin incredulously. "I can't decide if you're the most awesome headmaster ever, or the most terrifying."

Ozpin nodded thoughtfully. "A sentiment that I have, in fact, heard before." He waved towards the exit. "Now, I believe Miss Valkyrie would like to speak to you in the infirmary. Something about getting started on Magnhild MXIII?"

/-/

Nora was indeed awake and alert when Ruby and Blake came to see her. "Although EVERYTHING hurts." She admitted somberly, then grinned. "I'd say in a good way... but, nope."

"Nora, I'm SO SO sorry!" Ruby told her miserably.

"Eh, it's fine!" Nora told her cheerfully. "It's fine! I'm OK, and Magnhild MXIII is going to be better than ever, right?"

Ruby chuckled weakly. "I'll do my best."

Nora nodded. "I know you will."

/-/

Friday after classes they visited Nora in the infirmary again. She was on the mend, although not quite ready to leave the infirmary, the doctors assured them that she'd be good to go in another day or so. Ruby brainstormed ideas for further improving Magnhild with Nora, and promised that she'd work on it over the weekend.

Saturday morning, it was time for Blake and Pyrrha's date.

"Aren't you and Ruby supposed to have a sister's day together today?" Blake asked Yang with a mix of sympathy and curiosity. Ruby had left to start work on Magnhild MXIII the moment she'd woken up, leaving only a note for her three teammates.

Yang shrugged it off. "Ruby's going to be feeling guilty about Nora for awhile." She told them calmly. "Fixing up Magnhild will help with that, and I'll look out for her. She forgets to eat sometimes when she's like this, but I'll play mother hen for today. It's nothing new."

Pyrrha wrinkled her nose. "Are you sure you don't need assistance?"

Yang chuckled. "Don't worry about it. Ruby and me will be fine. You and Blake go have fun. Do you know what you're going to do?"

Pyrrha glanced at the cat faunus. "Well, we talked about it, and there were some things in Vale we'd both like to do. So we're going to spend the day in Vale."

Yang nodded. "Cool, cool. Have fun. I'd say don't have TOO much fun... but eh, who am I kidding? The idea of you and Blake making out is kinda hot."

Both Pyrrha and Blake blushed and Yang laughed. "Hah. The look on your faces!" She turned sober a moment later. "Seriously though... don't just go through the motions or just agree to be friends. See if you've got chemistry. That's the point of all this."

Pyrrha and Blake exchanged questioning glances with each other. "Are you sure?"

Yang nodded firmly. "Yeah. Ruby and I are on the same page here. If you two have chemistry, but we got in the way of you figuring that out, we'd both regret it."

Blake shrugged. "We'll do our best."

Pyrrha hesitated, then nodded. "This has been a very strange month. But... yes. I'll give Blake my full attention today." She said the words with the solemn air of a promise.

Blake turned towards Pyrrha, a surprised, and slightly flattered look on her face. "That... works for me."

/-/

For their date, Pyrrha went in disguise, wearing her long hair down, a ballcap and sunglasses partially concealing her face, a form fitting red sweater and short black skirt to complete the outfit. Blake wore a casual white crop-top jacket and tight black pants, as well as her signature bow.

Taking an airship into Vale, Blake led Pyrrha first to the video arcade where she and Ruby had gone two weeks previously. "This place is great!" She enthused. "I'd never really gotten to go to an arcade before. But it was a whole lot of fun!"

Pyrrha smiled, happy to see Blake so animated, and willingly followed her around to play on the various machines.

The two huntresses quickly got competitive on the various games of skill, their superior hand-eye coordination and reflexes enabling them to rack up high score after high score on the various machines.

Blake dominated the dance-prance machine, Pyrrha held a slight edge on the shooting games, and had a surprising knack for the driving games. Blake had a clear advantage on the fighting games, having been trounced badly enough by Ruby her previous visit to have learned quite a bit of the tactics involved, while Pyrrha was a complete novice, learning steadily but not fast enough to surpass Blake's greater experience till their final match, where she squeaked by with a victory by the seat of her pants.

Laughing, Blake acknowledged her victory. "Well done, Pyrrha. I think that's enough video games for today?"

Pyrrha wrinkled her nose, obviously thinking about it, then nodded. "On the condition that we return another day? This was fun."

Blake grinned. "Agreed." She gestured to Pyrrha. "Your turn to pick. Where to, girlfriend?"

"Dancing!" Pyrrha announced cheerfully. "Yang showed me a great club!"

Blake nodded agreeably, and they set off for Junior's club.

There was a bit of a line for admittance when they arrived, but the bouncers on duty took one good look at the two attractive huntresses in training and waved them both inside almost immediately. Pyrrha left her sweater and hat at the coat check area, showing off an attractive red tank top and matching Blake's exposed midriff with her own tight abs.

It was fun. Dancing was fun, and dancing with Pyrrha was fun, Blake decided. She hadn't been much of a club goer, and the music was too loud for her taste. It hurt her ears a bit. Thankfully her bow muffled her faunus ears a bit, so it wasn't all that painful, and following Pyrrha around the floor, matching dance move for dance move, was more then enough distraction for Blake not to care that much.

Pyrrha was attractive. Extremely so. Blake had no trouble admitting that to herself. And the challenging, happy smile on her face was as magnetic as Pyrrha's semblance.

Others noticed as well. Two attractive girls, dancing together and without male company, was bound to get noticed, but something about the two athletic and powerful looking women discouraged most of those who might have otherwise tried their luck.

A couple times, Blake gave a hopeful looking fellow a warning look, and that was enough. She noticed Pyrrha also occasionally gave a short glare to ward off unwanted suitors. The ubiquitous black suited goons that seemed to make up most of the staff did their share of warning away those too drunk to realize what a poor decision it would be to bother a pair of huntresses on the town, so, for the most part, they were undisturbed, even in the large and energetic crowd.

It wasn't going to last forever, unfortunately. A trio of large young men, wearing expensive looking designer clothing, had been spending the last hour or so drinking at one of the corner tables, hitting on their waitress and making a steady but, relatively quiet nuisance of themselves, had, after leering at Pyrrha and Blake for half an hour, finally drank enough of their inhibitions away to attempt approaching them.

Blake noticed them first, her eyes going wide as the largest of the three reached for Pyrrha's shoulder. Pyrrha, noticing Blake's look and sensing the man behind her, slipped sideways while dropping that shoulder, causing the man to overextend his grab and stagger into the space between her and Blake.

"Hey... what?" The apparent ringleader of the three said with some confusion at finding his target no longer in front of him.

Blake raised an eyebrow. "Excuse me, but I'm trying to dance with my date."

"I'll dance with you honey!" He said drunkenly to Blake.

"Excuse me." Pyrrha's voice was firm and stern behind him as she took the man by his shoulder and pulled him around to face her effortlessly. "I believe my date explained that we were together. And you are interrupting."

The big man tried to knock Pyrrha's hand away, but his arm bounced off of hers as if it was made of stone, and he winced as Pyrrha squeezed his shoulder with aura enhanced strength, yelping in pain.

"Hey!" His two buddies, sensing the violence in the air, perhaps, surged forward for Pyrrha's back, hands outstretched.

Pyrrha turned, lowering her center of gravity slightly, and pulled at the man she had a hold of, causing him to lose his balance. She twisted and tossed him into the path of his two drunken friends, causing all three to fall in a heap.

Pyrrha shrugged at Blake. "I believe I've had about enough dancing for the night, how about you?"

Blake grinned and nodded back. "I'm good. Let's go before we have to actually hurt one of those clowns."

They started walking quickly away. A pair of young women in red and white matching frilly dresses were moving in quickly to intercept them, but at a hard look from Pyrrha, they went around them instead to see to the three drunken louts who were currently pulling themselves up off the floor.

Pyrrha and Blake hurried away, both girls breaking into giggles as they hit the door at a jog and headed out into the night.

They broke into a run as they left the building, and didn't stop till they were a couple blocks away. They turned a corner quickly, ducking out of sight of any possible, if unlikely, pursuit. And Blake swung Pyrrha against the wall of the building they'd just cornered and pressed up against her, kissing her fiercely on the lips.

Blake pulled back after only a moment, breathing hard. "Sorry... was that...?"

Pyrrha pulled her back in for another kiss before Blake could say anything more.

After half a minute, lips tingling, they pushed slowly apart.

"Um..." Blake started. "That was just..."

"I liked it too." Pyrrha told her, once again cutting off her protests.

"It was kind of spur of the moment." Blake said carefully.

"It was a good moment though." Pyrrha said with a soft smile.

"Yeah." Blake admitted. "It was."

The two of them looked into each other's eyes for a long minute, Pyrrha's back to the wall, Blake only inches away.

Blake smiled and stepped back. "A good place to end our date?"

Pyrrha nodded once, still smiling. "I agree." She took a deep breath. "If it wasn't for Ruby and Yang... I might not want to end it right there, though."

Blake nodded slowly. "Yeah."

Pyrrha wrinkled her nose. "What do we tell them?"

Blake shrugged. "The truth?"

Pyrrha nodded again. "Yes, but what's the truth, Blake?"

Blake chuckled weakly. "I don't know?"

Pyrrha giggled, a slightly hysterical edge to it. "Neither do I."

The two girls started walking, heading for the airship docks that went back to Beacon. They walked in silence for several long minutes.

"I like you a lot." Pyrrha admitted.

"I like you a lot too." Blake replied easily. "I've liked you a lot for awhile now."

"I didn't think I was going to kiss you tonight though." Pyrrha admitted.

"Hey, I kissed you." Blake corrected.

"I kissed back." Pyrrha insisted. "It was a really nice moment."

Blake nodded. "It was."

Half an hour later, as they were reaching the Beacon Airdock, Blake winced. "Oh, Pyrrha! We forgot your sweater and hat!"

Pyrrha blinked, then laughed. "No big loss. And we'd have never had our moment if we'd stopped to collect them."

Blake sighed. "Maybe it would have been better if we hadn't had that moment."

Pyrrha frowned. "I don't agree."

Blake turned to her, looking frustrated. "It's not that I don't like you, Pyrrha... I do. I really do... but..."

Pyrrha nodded. "There's somebody you like more?"

Blake wrinkled her nose. "I... think so?" She nodded. "Yes. Although tonight's made it fuzzy in my head."

Pyrrha nodded. "Me too. I thought I was confused before tonight!"

Blake sighed. "Well, better too many choices than not enough, right?"

Pyrrha sighed back. "Perhaps. Although choosing will be difficult."

Blake nodded. "For me as well."

Pyrrha wrinkled her nose. "I think... Blake, I'm going to find an excuse to kiss Yang tonight... or tomorrow at the latest. If that's alright with you?"

Blake blinked, then nodded. "Yeah. I'm going to kiss Ruby."

Pyrrha nodded. "Good. Good. That feels right."

"It feels crazy." Blake nodded. "But yeah, I'm with you. Symmetry."

"It makes a difference, a kiss." Pyrrha said. "Or so I've found."

Blake nodded. "Yeah. And if I didn't... I would feel like I didn't do enough to give everyone a chance."

"We'll go with that." Pyrrha agreed. "Although part of me just wants to kiss Yang because I want to kiss her."

Blake grinned. "That's OK too."

Pyrrha smiled. "Good."

Blake glanced at Pyrrha nervously. "And then what do we do?"

Pyrrha shook her head. "I don't have any idea. Try our best not to hurt anyone?"

Blake sighed. "It's a plan. It seems like an impossible plan, but..." She took a deep breath. "Yeah. We'll try."

/-/

When they got back to their dorm room, Yang and Ruby were waiting for them.

"So, how did it go?" Yang asked, looking excited.

"Did you have fun?" Ruby asked, a hopeful expression on her face.

Blake turned to Pyrrha. "How about now?"

Pyrrha raised an eyebrow. "Now?"

Blake nodded. "Yeah."

Pyrrha blinked, then shrugged, and walked up to Yang. "OK." She put her hands on Yang's face and kissed her hard on the lips.

Blake went over to Ruby, who was gaping at Pyrrha and her older sister, and took her face in her hands. "I'm going to kiss you now Ruby, is that OK?"

Ruby looked confused, but she nodded, and Blake kissed her gently. She felt Ruby's arms close around her waist, and she lowered her own arms to circle Ruby's shoulders. They kissed gently, once, twice, three times, then Blake rested her forehead against Ruby's.

"What was that for?" Ruby asked, sounding a bit breathless but happy.

"Symmetry." Blake answered. "And I wanted to."

"Oh. OK." Ruby agreed with a happy but dazed expression. "That's a good reason."

They glanced over at Yang and Pyrrha. Yang apparently was more than willing to give as good as she got, and she and Pyrrha were still lip locked, almost fighting for dominance.

They finally broke and Yang laughed. "OK, either your date was terrible, or it was amazing!"

Pyrrha laughed. "It was good. Very good." She glanced at Blake. "Blake and I had a moment, after we ran out of Junior's club... and we kissed."

Blake nodded. "It was a good moment."

Pyrrha smiled fondly. "We ran around a corner to get out of sight, and Blake threw me up against a wall and kissed me."

Yang raised an eyebrow. "Hot."

Ruby blushed. "That does sound nice..."

Blake smiled. "It was pretty awesome." Her smile faded slightly. "This isn't going to ruin anything, is it?"

Yang blinked. "Well... are you and Pyrrha together now?"

Blake hesitated. "Not... really."

Pyrrha shrugged helplessly. "The possibility is there."

Blake turned to her. "Yeah. There's a spark."

Pyrrha turned back to Yang. "But you and I had a spark too..." She turned towards Ruby. "And I did with you as well. I think... I think we should all sit down and talk about this."

Yang nodded slowly. "Yeah. I guess we've all had a chance. We've all had our dates. We should... figure this out. So nobody gets hurt."

"So, now what?" Blake asked. "This whole thing was your idea, Yang. What do we do now?"

Yang wrinkled her nose. "So... I guess we've all had a chance to figure out who we like, right?"

The other three girls glanced around at each other, and slowly they all nodded.

Yang shrugged. "So... who do you like best?"

Ruby flushed. "Why don't you go first, Yang?"

Pyrrha coughed. "Perhaps... perhaps we should sleep on it?"

Blake nodded. "Give everyone some time to think, maybe."

Ruby nodded nervously. "I think that would probably be a good idea."

Yang wrinkled her nose. "OK, I can wait another night. We don't want to rush things, I guess." She looked around the room. "So, tomorrow?"

Ruby hesitated. "Exactly what are we going to do tomorrow?"

Yang took a deep breath. "Decide, I guess. Pair off, probably?"

Blake nodded. "Make it official?"

Yang nodded. "Yeah. That's why we all dated, right? To figure out who we fit best with."

Pyrrha sighed and nodded. "That's true. I just... no matter what happens, I don't want to hurt anyone."

Yang licked her lips nervously. "I don't think any of us want that. But... it could happen. Even if nobody wants it to."

"No matter what, we're not going to let this hurt the team, right?" Ruby asked quietly.

Everyone nodded at that. "Nobody wants that." Pyrrha agreed.

"Even if nothing comes from it... this last month has been full of memories I'll treasure." Blake said softly. "No regrets."

Yang grinned. "Yeah. No arguments there. It's been fun."

Ruby smiled. "Yeah. Scary, but fun."

Pyrrha nodded to that. "That just about sums it up for me as well."

"Alright then." Yang said. "We'll confess tomorrow?"

Ruby frowned. "That sounds like we're going to tell each other our worst sins or something."

Yang chuckled. "Well, we can do that too..."

Blake winced. "Pass."

Yang sobered. "Well, whatever you want to call it, we'll all come clean on who we've gotten closest too?"

"Who we most want as a girlfriend, you mean?" Pyrrha added.

Yang nodded. "Yeah. That." Yang put a hand out. "OK, everyone grab my hand. We'll make a promise."

Ruby put her hand on top of Yang's immediately. Pyrrha and Blake glanced at each other, then put their hands on top of Ruby's a moment later.

"No matter what, we'll all always be friends. I so swear." Yang intoned solemnly.

"I so swear." Ruby, Pyrrha and Blake intoned a moment later.

Yang pulled at their hands and gathered all three of the other girls into a hug. "I love you guys."

The four girls stayed in that hug for half a minute, no one speaking.

Finally, Yang once again broke the silence. "So... who's up for an orgy before bed?"

The pillow-fight that ensued ended up being broken up by Miss Goodwitch half an hour later.

* * *

**And here it is. Next chapter, we find out which ships will sail on, and which will sink.**

**We're also growing closer to the point where the romantic sub plot calms down, and the rest of the story starts revving up again, although obviously there will be at LEAST one more chapter wrapping up this particular bit of the story-line.**

**Not that there won't be any romantic moments after everyone figures out who they want to be with. Just that once the intensity of their initial dating is dying down, the timeline can progress, with further jumps ahead towards moments of interest that will be, in general, farther apart.**

**The Ruby butterfly's wings are still flapping madly, and they haven't even seen the edge of the hurricane that's coming.**


	12. Chapter 12

After Miss Goodwitch broke up their pillow-fight, the girls settled down for bed, but after half an hour of staring at the ceiling, Ruby spoke up.

"Is anyone else still awake?" She asked quietly.

"Can't sleep?" Blake returned a moment later, just as softly.

"I'm finding it a bit difficult to sleep myself." Pyrrha admitted.

"Not me, I'm fast asleep." Yang muttered, half jesting.

"Is everyone else as scared about tomorrow as I am?" Ruby asked nervously.

"Oh yeah." Blake agreed.

"I'm terrified." Pyrrha said with a slight quaver in her voice.

"Guys..." Yang's voice became reassuring. "It's going to be fine. It's going to be better than fine. You'll see."

"How can you be sure?" Ruby asked plaintively.

"Because we're awesome." Yang said confidently. "I trust you three with my life. I can trust you with my heart as well, can't I?"

"Hearts are harder." Blake said softly. "It's easy to protect a life. Not dying is simple. Protecting someone's heart isn't so easy."

Yang sighed. "Yeah. But we're still awesome. And I know it seems like tomorrow is super important and everything... but it's not like whatever we decide tomorrow is going to be something that lasts forever. We're still figuring this stuff out. We're only in our first year here in Beacon. You're supposed to date a bunch of different people, get your heart broken a few times. That's just normal stuff. But we're not going to let anything that happens tomorrow break us up as friends. So whatever happens, we'll handle it and move on. We'll be there for each other. And sure, maybe tomorrow will be the first day of the best thing ever. But the worst thing that will happen is that we cry a little and stay friends. Right?"

Pyrrha smiled at that. "You're right, Yang. I suppose, realistically, that's not so bad a fate."

Blake chuckled. "Compared to my last breakup, the worst possible thing that could happen tomorrow will be a cakewalk."

"I'm still scared." Ruby admitted. "But knowing that you'll all still be here whatever happens helps a lot."

Yang fluffed her pillow and thumped her head down on it a couple times to try and get comfortable. "I don't know about the rest of you, but I'd like to get some beauty sleep. Got to look my best tomorrow for when I get dumped."

Ruby frowned. "Yang, you're not getting dumped tomorrow."

Yang grinned. "Yeah, but if I just accept the worst thing, then anything else that happens is just a nice surprise."

Ruby considered that. "Imagine the worst thing?"

Yang nodded. "Sure. Try it. Imagine the worst possible thing that could realistically happen tomorrow."

Ruby wrinkled her nose, thinking about it. What would be the worst possible thing? That Pyrrha and Blake ended up liking each other so much that they ended up together and Yang and her both ended up alone? She thought about that. It didn't sound all that bad, actually. Sure, she'd be a little sad, but she'd be happy for Pyrrha and Blake. And there were other people out there. Maybe Weiss would be willing to try dating? Weiss was cute.

Ruby giggled. "I just imagined asking out Weiss if tomorrow goes really badly."

Yang laughed. "OK, that really IS the worst possible thing that could happen."

Ruby snorted. "Hey, Weiss isn't that bad."

Blake spoke up, her voice rich with humor. "Hey, what if I wanted to ask out Weiss?"

Ruby stuck out her tongue at the cat faunus. "Well too bad. If I end up alone tomorrow, I'm asking her first. I call dibs."

Blake theatrically rolled her eyes. "Fine, I'll ask out Ren and Nora."

Pyrrha choked. "At the same time?"

Yang laughed out loud. "Nice! I'm stealing that idea for when I end up single."

Pyrrha giggled. "Fine. I suppose I shall ask out Coco."

Yang looked thoughtful. "Coco Adel? She's pretty hot. You think she's seeing anyone?"

Pyrrha shrugged. "Well, when I end up single tomorrow, I suppose I'll go find out."

Ruby snorted. "Don't be silly Pyrrha. There's no way you're ending up single tomorrow."

Pyrrha hummed softly. "Well, I'm going to imagine that I am, regardless."

Ruby groaned. "This is silly."

"Are you as nervous as you were a minute ago?" Yang asked her.

Ruby thought about it. "No... but..."

Yang cut her off. "Then it's not that silly, is it?"

Ruby was silent for several long seconds. "No, I guess it wasn't. Goodnight Yang."

"Goodnight Ruby."

/-/

By mutual consent, Team RPBY slept late, not rising till well after the sun. They took turns in the bathroom, and when they were all up and dressed, Yang took charge.

"Breakfast first. Let's get rejected on full stomachs, OK?" The group's one older sister decided. Everyone nodded. Food sounded good.

Ruby helped Yang cook for the team in the small communal kitchen that they and team WJNR shared. 'Yangcakes' and bacon. Ruby asserted that most breakfasts were better with bacon, and nobody disagreed.

After they'd all eaten, and the last plate had been washed, they all went back to their dorm room as a group, uncommonly silent.

When they returned, they gathered in a circle. Ruby was sitting on Pyrrha's bed on the left, Blake sat in a chair by the window between the beds. Yang sat on Blake's bed opposite Ruby, and Pyrrha sat cross-legged on the floor opposite of Blake.

"OK... let me tell you how we're going to do this." Yang said with some authority. "I've given it some thought, and... and I think if we take turns, whoever goes after the first person to confess will be tempted to lie about how they really feel in order to make everyone else happier, and I think it's best if we're all as honest as possible."

Pyrrha looked uncomfortable, having been thinking about doing exactly that.

Blake nodded sagely. "You're probably right about that. I wouldn't put it past Ruby to just say she liked whomever confessed to her first."

Yang nodded. "Exactly. So here's how we're going to do this. I'm going to count to three. On the word three, I want everyone to point at the person they're most interested in. Got it? I say three, and everyone points. That way, no one can change their mind to spare someone's feelings."

"But... don't we WANT to spare each other's feelings? We don't want to hurt each other." Pyrrha protested.

Yang smiled softly. "I know. But if we can't be honest with each other about how we feel, then what's the point of all this? We did all of this so we'd all know who we like the best. Settling for second best after that seems... I don't know... wasteful."

Ruby nodded slowly. "I agree. It might hurt a little more right now, but if we're honest at the start, we'll be better off in the long run, right?"

Blake nodded. "I think so too. I'm in. On three?"

Yang nodded. "On three. Pyrrha, are you in?"

Pyrrha sighed and nodded. "Yes. And you're right. It probably is for the best. On three."

Yang took a deep breath and raised one hand, one finger already pointed at the sky. "OK, on three. One... Two... Three." On the word three, she pointed firmly to her right, then looked around. Everyone had pointed to the person at their right at the same time. Pyrrha had pointed at her. Ruby had pointed at Pyrrha. Blake had pointed at Ruby, and of course, she herself had pointed at Blake.

Yang groaned. "Well fuck."

The group all stared at each other in horror. "Well, that's messed up." Blake said with a snort, shaking her head in disbelief.

Ruby groaned and put her head in her hands. "Great idea, Yang."

Pyrrha snorted, and started to chuckle. She choked and tried to stop, but she couldn't seem to manage, and her chuckles broke into full blown laughter.

Yang snorted as well, and started to laugh a moment later. Ruby giggled, and Blake started to quietly laugh, and soon the whole room was filled with the sounds of laughter.

As soon as one of them stopped, another would burst out laughing, and it was a full three minutes before they'd all finally quieted down.

Yang finally spoke up. "OK... that wasn't the best result... but... I'll be honest, we can work with this." She turned to Pyrrha. "I mean... it was a really tough choice for me, you know? If it's me you're most interested in... I can go with that."

Blake nodded slowly. "It was a really hard choice for me as well. To be honest, I'd be pretty happy dating any of you." She winced. "OK, that sounded better in my head."

Pyrrha shook her head. "I understand, Blake. It was a really difficult decision for me as well. I decided last night that it would be an honor for me to date any of you. You're all quite wonderful."

Ruby shrugged. "Well... I don't want to date YANG... but other than that..."

Yang grinned. "Right back at you sis... but I think we're on the same page there."

Blake looked from Ruby to Yang, then to Pyrrha. "OK, so... how are we going to do this?"

Yang wrinkled her nose. "Maybe... we should talk about why we feel the way we do?"

Ruby winced. "Talking about our feelings? Really?"

Yang nodded. "Yeah, really. I mean... I kind of want to know why Pyrrha picked me?"

Ruby blushed, looking at Blake. "OK, yes, I understand that, but... do we all have to share?"

Blake glanced at Yang. "I'm curious as well."

Pyrrha frowned. "I... I'm not sure if I'm comfortable sharing my reasoning."

Yang shrugged. "You don't have to if it really bothers you. How about I go first?" No one objected, so Yang took a deep breath to steel herself and began. "OK, I guess, for me, it doesn't come down to anything concrete... just, I felt like I clicked better with Blake, a little. And maybe it's a bit superficial. Like, maybe I have a cat-girl fetish? I don't know. Those ears are super cute."

Blake was looking at her with astonishment. "Seriously?"

Yang shrugged. "Sorry... but if I was to give serious, real reasons, well, then it's really hard to pick. You and Pyrrha are both fantastic. Smart, strong, funny. Fun to be with. You're both great with Ruby, and I can tell we're going to be really good friends. I mean, we're already friends, but every day just feels a little bit better with you, you know? And that goes for both of you. And you're both hella sexy, and in the end it came down to little things."

Blake nodded, mollified. "Actually, that does make me feel better."

Yang shot her a questioning look. "You don't mind that I picked you because you fit my kinks better?"

Blake grinned. "I don't kink shame. And no... I don't mind. Maybe if that was all it was for you, but it isn't."

Yang nodded. "Yeah. I really like you, and I'd still like you even if you looked like Cardin. But physical attraction matters, right?"

Blake nodded slowly. "It does. And thank you for explaining." She hesitated. "Well, I'll go next, if that's alright?" She turned to Ruby. "I've liked you for awhile now. Ever since the night you told me you knew I was a faunus, I really started to feel attracted to you." She turned to Yang. "Not that I ignored you, but my feelings for you are more recent... and, if I'll be honest, I think what I feel for you is more physical, and... and I don't think that there's anything wrong with that." She turned back to Ruby. "But as time passed, and I got to know you, Ruby, I've been drawn to you. Your drive, your personality. There's an inner light that shines out of you that I can't stay away from. Wherever you lead, I find I want to follow. I... you're like no one else I've ever known." Blake was blushing furiously, and Ruby wasn't much better.

She turned back to Yang. "Wow... um. That was a bit more intense than I intended. I... if Ruby likes someone else... well, I'll be more than happy being her friend. And I really do like you a lot, Yang. I feel safe with you. Safer than I've ever felt before. I could be happy with you, I think. I could be myself, and I know you'd always have my back. So... I guess what I'm saying is that I'd be willing to date either of you. I want you both to be happy, and if that means you're with someone else, so long as we're still friends, I'll be OK."

Ruby and Yang both smiled at her, and Blake turned towards Pyrrha. "Actually... a lot of what I said to Yang, I find I feel with you as well. I feel safe with you Pyrrha, and, as Yang puts it, you're sexy as hell. For me, there is no bad outcome here though. Even if in the end we only end up as friends, I'll be pretty happy, you know?"

Pyrrha smiled. "I feel the same way."

Yang grinned. "Including the part about finding her sexy as hell?"

Pyrrha smiled softly. "Yes, including that part." She took a deep breath, then nodded. "Very well. I will go next, if you like." She glanced at Ruby, who nodded, then smiled and turned to Yang. "While I was drawn to Ruby's spirit... and I most certainly still am, I find I..." She blushed. "Dancing with you, Yang... riding behind you on Bumblebee? It opened my eyes. I never knew I could feel that way." She turned to Ruby. "I am VERY fond of you. And I'd be honored to date you. But if I HAVE to choose, then... well..." She turned to Yang. "You challenge me. I have been so guarded for so many years. I have closed my heart to everyone and anyone who might have wanted to get close. Ruby may have been the one to first get me to lower my guard... but you were there as well. From the first night before initiation where you invited me over because I was Ruby's friend, to how you've opened your heart to me time and time again. To how you tease and challenge me every day to come out of my shell... Yang, I think you're good for me."

She turned to Blake, then Ruby. "I think either of you... both of you, are good for me as well. Honestly, it WAS, it IS a difficult choice, but..."

Ruby smiled softly. "I think you should be with Yang, Pyrrha. I think you'd be good together."

Blake nodded. "I agree." She looked at Ruby. "So... you and me?"

Ruby smiled. "Yes. I'd like that."

Yang raised an eyebrow. "Deciding for me?" She chuckled. "I'm kidding. Yeah. This works for me." She looked at Pyrrha. "I've got only one problem."

Pyrrha frowned, looking worried. "And that is?"

Yang sighed dramatically. "I still don't have the perfect nickname for you!"

Pyrrha laughed. "I think I'll manage to withstand my disappointment."

Yang put her hands behind her head. "Yeah. I mean, that and my not getting to indulge my cat-girl fetish."

Pyrrha giggled. "Shall I buy a headband with some cat ears?"

Yang laughed. "Fox ears, maybe, with that hair." Her eyes widened. "Ooh! Foxy Lady!" She winked at Pyrrha. "How'd you like that?"

Pyrrha considered it. "Perhaps. Maybe it'll grow on me."

Yang shrugged. "Well, you are a total fox."

Pyrrha blushed. "Ah... well..."

Blake pretended to be offended. "Ah, now I see how it is. You don't have a cat-girl fetish, you just have a kink for faunus."

Yang chuckled. "Maybe just a little. Still, imagine Pyrrha in some cute little red fox ears? And oh... a bushy red fox tail?"

Blake considered that, looking at Pyrrha with that image in mind. After a minute she grinned. "Well, now I know what to get you for your anniversary." Pyrrha gaped at her, then covered her face as she flushed in embarrassment. Ruby giggled madly.

Ruby looked at her big sister. "So, now what, Yang?"

Yang grinned. "Celebratory Orgy?" Ruby reached back, grabbed a pillow and tossed it at her. Yang took it on the chin and laughed. "Kidding, kidding." She tossed the pillow back. "Seriously though? I think we slow down. Take it easy. Things have gotten seriously intense the last few weeks, you know?" Ruby, Pyrrha and Blake glanced at each other, then nodded at that. "So... we focus on school, and our team, and maybe think about dating some more in a couple weeks?"

Pyrrha sighed and nodded. "Slowing down sounds lovely. Not that I hated how intense things were, but..."

"But it kind of felt like we were all going slowly insane?" Blake broke in.

"And not all that slowly." Yang agreed. "So... take it easy for a bit?"

Ruby licked her lips. "How about... reading together? And back-rubs?"

Yang considered that. "No reason to stop, is there?" Blake and Pyrrha both had thoughtful looks on their faces, and they both nodded.

"It would seem like a shame to lose that." Pyrrha agreed. "Those times are becoming very precious to me."

Blake nodded. "Yeah. Same. Although we'll need a new book pretty soon."

Ruby grinned. "Not to worry, it's part one of a trilogy!"

Pyrrha smiled. "Well, that's good. So, what should we do tonight?"

Blake wrinkled her nose. "Homework?"

Yang sighed dramatically. "Yeah... I guess I've been letting that slack a bit."

"I'm ahead." Ruby announced. "But I still have more work on Magnhild to do."

Pyrrha nodded. "Well then, I suppose I should catch up on my work as well."

/-/

Somehow, for the rest of the week, things were getting back to normal. Nora was back in classes looking none the worse for wear, and Ruby had worked through the rest of Sunday finishing the revisions to Magnhild's design. Currently pressing the trigger for the lightning dust crystal would electrify the hammer for five seconds, after which the button would depress automatically, shutting it off. Nora had been directly absorbing electricity from her hammer for nearly two minutes during her fight with Pyrrha, so such a short time period would hardly tax her semblance. Nora had promised Ruby not to press the button more than a few times a fight.

"Against anyone but Pyrrha, it's actually kind of overkill anyway." The orange-haired berserker explained. "And obviously if I use it too much I'll just end up defeating myself."

For the members of team RPBY, not much was different during the week at all. Homework and classes took up much of their time, and their private training with team WJPR took up much of the rest. They put aside time to read together as a group, of course. It was fast becoming a tradition among them now, but aside from that, things seemed normal.

Better than normal, because all of them were feeling quite a bit more relaxed now that the stress of the previous month was over. Even Yang, who tended to be pretty calm most of the time anyway, moved like an invisible tension had gone from her shoulders.

"I didn't even notice how worried I was." Yang admitted to the rest of them as they were settling in to read one night. "Till I wasn't anymore."

Pyrrha, who had her head resting in Yang's lap at the time, nodded softly. "The dates were nice, but in between a lot of me just wanted it to be over. It was nerve-wracking."

Yang frowned. "Sorry babe." She ran her fingers through Pyrrha's hair gently. "I really thought it was a pretty good idea."

Pyrrha shook her head. "It was a good idea. And I can't complain at the results. But that doesn't mean it wasn't hard on my nerves."

Blake frowned. "This whole thing could still end up blowing up on us, you know?" Absently she ran her hands through Ruby's short locks, the small girl's head in her lap, the book they'd been reading on Ruby's stomach, laying open to the page she's stopped at.

Ruby, holding said book loosely in her hands, shook her head slightly, careful not to dislodge her girlfriend's fingers. "It won't. Because we won't let it."

Blake sighed. "We'll try. I know that. But... what about jealousy?"

"What do you mean?" Yang asked, sounding concerned.

Blake hesitated. "Well, the downside of all of us dating each other is that we've all dated each other. Normally, it's kind of hard to deal with your exes, you know?"

Yang nodded. "Yeah, I guess. I mean, I know I'm not on great terms with my old boyfriend."

Blake barked a laugh. "I think I've got you beat. At least your ex-boyfriend isn't the leader of a terrorist organization who is probably going to try and murder you when you see him next."

Yang snorted. "OK, yeah. You win the bad exes competition."

"But we're not like that!" Ruby protested. "I'm not mad at Pyrrha because she's dating Yang now."

"Well, you're hardly typical." Blake pointed out. "Nor is our situation."

Ruby shrugged. "Yeah, but that's the point. We all agreed to this, and... well, are any of you feeling jealous or angry about how things turned out?"

Blake thought about it. "Well... no. I mean... no. Not at all. But I got exactly what I wanted. You..." She trailed off, looking down at Ruby with a frown. "You never said why you would have picked Pyrrha over me."

Ruby looked up into Blake's amber eyes. "Does it bother you?"

Blake thought about it. "I think it does, a little. I'm your second choice. I know that you like me, but... well, you're you. You'd do anything so as not to hurt our feelings. I guess I worry that you won't be happy."

Ruby smiled brightly up at her. "Oh Blake. I'm really happy being your girlfriend. Really, really happy. But if you want to know why I ended up pointing at Pyrrha, I guess I can tell you if it helps."

Blake shrugged helplessly. "I don't know, will it?"

Ruby smiled. "I hope so. Here goes." Ruby herself knew exactly why she'd chosen Pyrrha over Blake. She hadn't been able to figure out who she liked best between the two of them, but the fact was, she'd gone back in time to protect Pyrrha from dying. If she had to choose, she wanted to be closer to Pyrrha when the time came. But how to explain that to Blake?

"I couldn't choose." Ruby admited. "There are so many things about both of you that I love. So in the end, it came down to one little thing."

Blake looked curious. "What was that?"

"My nightmares." Ruby admitted. "Do you remember the start of the semester? After... initiation?"

Pyrrha spoke up softly. "You cried out my name in your sleep. You were seeing me dying during initiation."

Ruby hesitated. "I was... I was having nightmares about you dying instead of Jaune. And... I have this irrational fear that if I'm not close by to save you, you could die as well."

Blake scoffed. "Ruby... Pyrrha is the strongest fighter in our year. Nothing's going to kill her."

Ruby sighed. "I know it doesn't make any sense. But... that's why. That's the reason I would have picked her to be with over you."

Blake blinked. "That's all?"

Ruby shrugged. "I know it's a dumb reason. And it's why I didn't mind that Pyrrha preferred Yang. Because I know Yang will protect her too. And... because I really do like you a lot, Blake. Just as much as Pyrrha. More, maybe."

Blake sighed. "I'm glad you told me."

Ruby looked up into her eyes. "Does it help?"

Blake nodded. "Yes. Actually it does. And... well, nightmares rarely make any sense, neither do emotions. But that doesn't make them any less valid."

Ruby sighed in relief. "Well, good." She shrugged helplessly. "You know, I really do think that you and I make more sense than Pyrrha and I do, anyway."

Blake raised an eyebrow. "Why is that?"

Ruby shrugged helplessly. "Well... you and Pyrrha. You both had reasons for wanting to be with Yang and me that went beyond, hey, she's cute and nice and I'd kind of like to date her. Me? That's pretty much all it was. You and Pyrrha are really cute... and nice, and I thought I'd like to date you. And I did, and I was right. You're both really cute and nice! But that feels like a pretty shallow reason for wanting to be someone's one and only..."

Blake chuckled. "I'll settle for cute and nice. There are worse reasons."

Yang spoke up. "I feel the same. Pyrrha... when you told me how you felt, it changed how I saw you. I don't know if I really bring something good out in you... but I'd like to be that person. Knowing you felt that way, well, it made me value our relationship a lot more. No regrets."

Ruby nodded. "Yeah. Knowing how you feel about me Blake... well, I don't think I deserve all those things you said... not yet, anyway, but I'd like to. I think being your girlfriend will make me a better person too."

Blake smiled softly. "You are all those things I said, Ruby." She poked Ruby lightly on the nose. "And you'd better not get any better than you are now. I already feel inadequate enough as it is!"

Ruby giggled and swatted Blake's hand away. "Fine!" She said, sticking out her tongue. "I'll start making bad puns and tease you all the time instead."

Blake grinned. "Promises promises."

Yang spoke up. "So... still worried about jealousy ruining things, Blake?"

Blake wrinkled her nose. "I... hmm. I'm not sure, honestly. I guess we're really not in a normal situation here."

Pyrrha agreed. "We're really not. But I think, in this case, it might be a good thing. I know I WAS jealous, when this all began, but slowly, I started not to mind so much." She reached up to lightly touch Yang's face. "Especially now. I'm quite content with things how they are."

"Don't want to kiss Ruby anymore?" Blake teased.

Pyrrha thought about it. "I could lie and say no, but I suppose that if there were no consequences for it, I might still be tempted. In a world with no consequences, though, one where I could have anything I wanted..." She blushed and giggled. "Well..."

Yang's eyes twinkled. "OK, now I've got to hear. Spill, princess."

Pyrrha was blushing brighter. "No... no, it's silly... and oh so inappropriate."

Yang grinned wider. "Oh! Juicy! Come on. Spill."

"Nope. I said too much already." Pyrrha shook her head, her lips going into a thin line.

Yang pouted. "Now I'm going to be all paranoid about it..."

Pyrrha sighed. "Yang... you don't have to worry..."

Yang's expression immediately became happy again. "So you'll tell me?"

Pyrrha groaned. "Fine. If... and this is, of course, completely ridiculous and not within the realm of possibility, but if I could have anything I wanted and there were no consequences for my actions, I'd want all three of you."

Yang's eyes went bright. "Ooh. Harem fantasy, huh? Nice one, princess."

Pyrrha blushed brightly. "Well, as I said, it was a highly inappropriate fantasy..."

Yang shrugged. "Nah, I totally get it. Heck, I can't say I haven't felt the same."

Ruby looked a bit disturbed. "Yang, eww!"

Yang laughed. "Well, you'd just be in the background, fanning me or something, Rubes. Blake and Pyrrha would be the Harem girls."

Blake chuckled. "You'd like that, wouldn't you, Yang?"

Yang laughed some more. "You and Pyrrha in harem outfits? Heck yeah I would."

Blake chuckled some more. "Well now, I guess I know what to get you for your second anniversary."

Yang went speechless for a moment. "Wow. Er... do you think Ruby would be OK with that?"

Blake blinked. "A harem outfit for Pyrrha you perv!"

Yang laughed. "Hey, you're the one who's going to buy me fetish-wear for my girlfriend on my next two anniversaries. You perv."

Blake sighed and covered her face in her hands.

Yang winked over at her younger sister. "Better watch out, Rubes. Your girlfriend is a major pervert."

Ruby smiled. "Works for me."

Yang kind of choked a little bit at that.

Ruby smiled evilly, sensing advantage. "At least it won't ever be boring, right?"

That shut Yang up for the moment, and Ruby picked up the book again to start reading. She'd just gotten to the end of the chapter they'd been working on when Yang spoke up again.

"Assuming that harem thing is off the table..." Yang began with a teasing expression.

"At least wait until your birthday!" Pyrrha exclaimed, then giggled at Yang's flabbergasted expression. "Got you!"

Yang opened her mouth, then closed it, then opened it again. "OK, wow. Good one babe. Had me going for a second."

Pyrrha's eyes twinkled. "Are you sure I'm teasing?"

Yang hesitated. "Er... pretty sure?"

Pyrrha winked. "Guess you'll have to wait and see."

Yang blew out a breath. "I'm going to surrender now and declare you the winner."

Pyrrha raised an eyebrow curiously. "What do I win?"

Yang opened her arms wide. "Me, babe!"

Pyrrha frowned. "What, no harem?"

Yang laughed, and Pyrrha joined in a moment later, Ruby and Blake chuckling along. "No, seriously..." Yang began again once everyone had calmed down slightly. "I had a question... for all of you." Yang wrinkled her nose. "I don't want there to be any dumb mistakes, so I'm asking... what counts as acceptable behavior between us?"

Blake blinked. "You're going to have to clarify that statement."

Yang nodded. "Yeah. OK, to be more specific, what counts as acceptable behavior between me and Pyrrha?"

Blake opened her mouth. "Oh. I see."

Ruby spoke up. "Kissing is OK."

Blake shrugged. "Sure. But what isn't OK?"

Ruby blushed. "Er... sex?"

Yang grimaced. "Eww! Not in front of my baby sister!"

Ruby shrugged. "Well, duh!"

Pyrrha chuckled. "Duly noted." She looked curious. "So, where do we draw the line? On... um, what's acceptable when it's just the four of us, I mean?"

Yang looked thoughtful. "Ruby? I kind of figure you should make that call."

Ruby wrinkled her nose. "Do I have to?"

Yang shrugged. "Well, unless you want me to guess?"

Ruby sighed. "No. Fine... let me think for a minute." The other girls went silent while Ruby considered Yang's question. "Clothes stay on." Ruby decided. "At least where anyone else can see."

Yang raised an eyebrow. "How little clothing is too little?"

Ruby blushed. "I... if you'd be OK with team WJNR seeing you in it, it's probably fine?"

Yang chuckled, but nodded. "OK, can do. What else?"

Ruby considered that for awhile. "Well, cuddling is OK... obviously. Just... keep it PG?"

"So... no obvious groping, you mean?" Yang clarified.

Ruby shivered. "Not in front of me, please."

Blake shrugged. "I can work with that."

Pyrrha nodded. "That seems acceptable to me as well."

Yang looked around at them, then at Ruby. "Anything else?"

Ruby hesitated. "Can I add things later if I think of them?"

Yang shrugged. "Sure. Although don't get mad if we do something you're not comfortable with if you haven't mentioned it first."

Ruby sighed. "Fine. I'll be good."

"I won't." Yang promised. "But I won't traumatize my baby sister either."

Ruby snorted. "I guess that's the best I'm going to get."

"Pretty much." Yang agreed.

Blake looked from one sister to the other. "Is that everything?"

Yang wrinkled her nose. "Actually, that's kind of only part one of my question. I also want to know what's OK between, say, me and Blake."

Ruby blinked. "What do you mean, between you and Blake?" Her eyes narrowed. "Blake is not joining your harem, Yang!"

Yang laughed. "No, no... I mean..." She blushed slightly. "I mean, what's acceptable for me and Blake to do?" She glanced down at her own girlfriend. "This question is for you too, Pyrrha."

Pyrrha blinked. "Ah. You mean you want to know how much... affection is acceptable, and what's not acceptable?"

Yang nodded. "Yeah. I mean... I'm a pretty affectionate girl, and... you know, it's not all, sexual or anything."

Pyrrha smiled. "I do, in fact, know that about you."

Ruby nodded. "Yeah, OK. I get what you're getting at."

Yang shrugged. "So... limits?"

Ruby wrinkled her nose. "Well... hmm. Hugs are fine, of course."

Blake and Pyrrha chuckled. "Of course." They said in unison.

"Um... forehead kisses are fine?" Ruby said a bit hesitantly. "And back-rubs I guess, and all the stuff we've been doing between dates."

"Ear scratches?" Yang asked curiously.

Ruby hesitated, then glanced up at Blake. "I'd be OK with that, but that's more a question for Blake."

Blake nodded. "Ear scratches are acceptable."

Pyrrha glanced up at her girlfriend. "Ruby's list seems alright to me. I don't want you to stop being affectionate, Yang. That is part of your charm."

Yang grinned. "Thanks babe."

Pyrrha smiled. "Now that nickname is starting to grow on me."

Yang blinked. "Really?"

Pyrrha shrugged. "It is very... normal?"

Yang laughed. "Well, whatever floats your boat, babe."

Blake spoke up. "Do the same rules apply to me?"

Ruby looked up at her. "I guess?"

"I want to be certain." Blake said solemnly, and started counting off on her fingers. "Hugs, back-rubs, forehead kisses, and ear scratches are all acceptable between Yang and myself. And Pyrrha and myself?"

Ruby blinked, then thought about that. "Yes." She finally decided. "If you want to do something else, I guess just ask me first?"

Blake smiled and nodded, then turned to Yang. "So, if you're REALLY nice to Ruby, you might get that harem fantasy yet, Yang!"

Ruby flushed. "WHAT?!"

Blake looked back down at her innocently. "Well, you said if I wanted to do something else, ask first, right?"

Ruby blinked. "Er, yes?"

Blake grinned evilly. "So if Yang is really, really good this year, and she asks for a harem fantasy?"

Ruby blinked again, then rolled her eyes. "Maybe if she kills all the Grimm on the planet..."

Yang grinned. "Well, that wasn't a no."

"I believe Yang would also need my permission, Ruby." Pyrrha pointed out.

Yang pouted at her. "What, killing all the Grimm on Remnant wouldn't be enough for you, babe?"

Pyrrha laughed. "Fair enough. If you manage to rid us of every Grimm, you may have your harem fantasy."

Yang chuckled. "Right back at you, babe."

Ruby sighed and waved a hand in the air. "Fine. If either of you kills all the Grimm you can have your harem fantasy."

Blake pretended to look insulted. "So you'd sell me to your sister as a Harem girl if she saves Remnant from Grimm?"

Ruby nodded. "Yup. Pretty much. Or to Pyrrha."

Blake rolled her eyes. "Very well, I suppose if I must, I must." She grinned. "Besides, Pyrrha's harem fantasy includes you, remember?"

Ruby grinned and blushed at the same time. "I didn't forget."

The four girls all took a few moments to giggle at how silly they were being, before Yang spoke up again.

"I guess that's everything." Yang said, then paused. "Oh wait. One more question."

Pyrrha looked up at her. "What?"

Yang shrugged. "Are we telling people that we're dating?"

Ruby shivered. "Oh... that's kind of scary."

Blake nodded. "A bit, yeah."

Pyrrha looked thoughtful. "Well, while we were all trying to figure things out, I can understand not wanting to talk about it, but... I wouldn't mind people knowing that you and I are dating, Yang."

Blake considered that. "I'm not sure I'm so comfortable with the idea."

Ruby looked hurt. "Oh."

Blake shook her head quickly. "No! No... it's just, people who don't like faunus, or who don't like faunus and humans being together, or who don't like two girls being together... or all three... I'd be afraid of how they'd react." She frowned. "I don't want you getting hurt, Ruby."

Ruby was quiet for several long moments before she finally spoke. "Don't take this the wrong way, Blake, but you're an idiot."

Blake snorted. "Don't take that the wrong way?"

Ruby looked up at her firmly. "Don't you ever... ever, think I'd hesitate to accept you. Not for any reason. Not because you're a faunus, not because you're a girl, not if I have to stand up and announce that I love you in front of every faunus-hater in the kingdom. Because I would. There's no way I'm going to let stupid people have a say in who my girlfriend is."

Blake frowned. "Ruby..."

Ruby shook her head. "Nope. You're my girlfriend. Period. I don't care who doesn't like it. I'll fight 'em."

Yang grinned. "Heck yeah, Rubes. You wouldn't be alone, either."

"Certainly not." Pyrrha said calmly. "They would face all of us."

Blake sighed. "I'm not going to talk you out of this?"

Ruby sighed. "Blake... if you're really not ready to admit you're my girlfriend, I'll wait till you're ready. But I WANT people to know we're together. I don't want to have to hide who I care for. I'll wait till you're ready, but don't hesitate on my account."

Blake took a deep breath. "Can I think about it?"

Ruby sighed, then nodded. "Yeah. I won't push."

Yang smiled. "Hey, why don't Pyrrha and I tell people we're dating first? Say, tomorrow? That way it won't seem so weird that we all started dating at the same time, and Blake can have some time to get used to the idea?"

Ruby shrugged. "That's fine with me."

Yang looked down at Pyrrha. "How about you, babe?"

Pyrrha nodded. "That sounds lovely. Shall we tell team WJNR at breakfast?"

Yang grinned and nodded. "Yeah. Let's do that."

Pyrrha spoke up. "Well, it's getting quite late now."

Blake spoke up. "Time for one more chapter before we get some sleep?"

Ruby handed her the book. "Sure. Your turn... Kitten." She giggled at saying the nickname. "I'm going to pet your ears while you read, OK?" She announced seriously after she'd calmed a bit.

Blake chuckled. "Deal."

/-/

Breakfast the next morning was held in the kitchen that team WJNR and RPBY shared. Ren and Yang were sharing the cooking duties.

Nora's response was typically enthusiastic. "That's awesome!" She wagged her finger at Pyrrha. "You and Yang, huh? I had a feeling!"

Ren smiled over at his fellow cook politely. "Congratulations." He said calmly. "I am most pleased for you."

Yang glanced over at Pyrrha and grinned. "I know, right?"

Weiss gaped at Pyrrha incredulously. "You... and her?" She glanced at Yang in confusion. "I mean... not that there is anything wrong with Yang, but..." Pyrrha raised an eyebrow, and Weiss was quick to modify what she was about to say. "I mean, I'm very happy for you?"

Pyrrha smiled winningly at her. "We're quite pleased ourselves, thank you."

Weiss sighed. "Well, if you're happy, that's what matters, I suppose." She shook her head. "I honestly did not see this coming."

Pyrrha shrugged. "Well, can you think of another person better suited for me in this school?"

Weiss blinked. "I suppose if you put it like that..." She looked thoughtful. "Yang is your closest match in strength, certainly. And you do have quite a bit in common, if you exclude her rather... unique sense of humor."

Pyrrha smiled. "I rather like her sense of humor."

Weiss looked astonished, then chuckled. "Well, then I suppose all I can say is congratulations. I have to admit, you have seemed... happier in recent weeks."

Jack Spriggin was looking at Pyrrha in some confusion. "I would have thought you and Ruby...?"

Pyrrha blushed slightly, as did Ruby. "That... was a possibility, but Yang and I seem to fit together better."

Ruby glanced at Blake, but said nothing.

Jack noticed. "So... what about you, Ruby? Seeing anybody?"

Ruby looked ceilingward. "I can neither confirm or deny."

"That's not a no!" Nora exclaimed happily. She glanced at Blake knowingly. "So..."

Blake groaned. "Fine. Yes. Ruby and I are dating as well."

Weiss blinked. "Wait, what?"

Ren turned away from his cooking to nod at Blake. "Congratulations to you as well." He said, just as calmly as ever.

Nora grinned. "Gayest team in Beacon."

Pyrrha shrugged. "Also the strongest team in Beacon."

Nora raised an eyebrow. "Care to test that theory?"

Weiss was frowning. "How can you find time to date and still stay on top of all your classes?"

Pyrrha grinned at Nora. "Perhaps during our next training session."

Ruby answered Weiss's question. "We study and do homework before anything else." She explained. "And we haven't managed to go on all that many dates."

Weiss sighed, then smiled. "Well, you have been doing excellently in your classes, Ruby, so I have to say, I approve."

Ruby giggled. "Thanks, mom."

Weiss blushed. "I'm not..."

Nora giggled. "You kind of are."

"Team mom? Oh yeah." Jack Spriggin agreed. "You totally are."

"And we love you for it, Weiss." Nora said earnestly. "That's how we know you care!"

Ren coughed. "You are an excellent team leader." He commented with a nod.

Weiss sighed. "I'm not sure if I should be happy about this or depressed."

/-/

Things continued to go well... until they didn't.

It was the middle of the second week since they'd decided to let people know they were dating before Cardin finally found out. Team RPBY found out that he'd found out when he and his team approached them in the cafeteria.

"Hey twerp." He addressed Ruby first, probably considering her to be the weak link. "How did she do it?"

Ruby looked at the larger boy in utter confusion. "What?"

"How did she do it? How did your resident animal manage to turn you into an animal fu..."

Pyrrha's hand around his neck cut off the rest of what he'd been about to say. "I really wouldn't continue that train of thought, Cardin." She warned with a deceptively calm voice and expression. "You really don't."

Yang's hair had caught fire, and her eyes were bright red, and only her girlfriend already being there had kept the blond brawler from leaping over the tables at him.

Cardin pulled away with a grunt. "Whatever. You're all freaks, you know that, right?" He was smart enough to be walking away as he said it, and Pyrrha kept Yang from helping him exit the room a lot faster than he probably intended.

"Forget breaking his legs, I'm going to tear them off and feed them to him..." Yang was growling.

"Let it go." Pyrrha told her softly, finding that restraining her girlfriend was taking a surprising amount of effort, even for her, and she could feel her Aura starting to drop from the fiery Aura Yang was putting out. "Yang... he's not worth it..."

"I don't care if I get detention..." Yang growled. "Just so long as that..." She cut off whatever it was she was going to say, and visibly relaxed, her hair settling down and her eyes going back to their regular lavender. "Sorry..." She muttered. "Yeah, he's not worth it."

/-/

Ruby, however, was still fuming days later. "He doesn't get to call you that, Blake!" She told her girlfriend for the dozenth time since the incident. "Nobody gets to call you an animal in front of me..."

Blake sighed. "Ruby, you can't beat up everyone who calls me a name because I'm a faunus."

"I can try!" Ruby told her fiercely. "I was just so shocked... he walked away before I could say anything, but..."

Blake smiled and hugged her. "And I know you'll always defend me. But you don't have to defend me against idiots like Cardin. He's just full of hot air. Bullies like that are always all talk and no substance."

"He beat up Jack." Ruby muttered darkly.

"Him and his whole team, sure." Blake agreed. "And he paid for that. He's not dumb enough to try anything when the rest of us are around."

"I just don't like it." Ruby groused. "Here in Beacon of all places. You shouldn't have to listen to stuff like that."

Blake shook her head. "It's nothing. Beacon IS a safe place for faunus. Cardin is an aberration, and one without any real power. Ignore him. He's all talk."

Ruby snorted, but didn't protest. Blake knew Ruby was still mad, but also knew that there was nothing else she could say. Time would calm her down.

/-/

_Less than a week later, in combat class._

Miss Goodwitch was consulting her ever-present tablet. "Alright, the next match will be, Cardin Winchester..." All of team RPBY went still, their eyes going to Miss Goodwitch like magnets.

"vs Ruby Rose." Miss Goodwitch concluded.

Ruby practically flew into the arena, beating Cardin there by nearly a minute as the larger boy adjusted his armor and readied his dust enhanced mace.

Ruby handed Miss Goodwitch Crescent Rose as Cardin entered the ring.

The teacher looked nonplussed. "Miss Rose, I can't permit you to fight without your weapon..."

Ruby shot her an angry look. "How many pieces did you want Cardin in?" She asked with deadly quiet intent.

Miss Goodwitch frowned. "Miss Rose, if you feel as if you cannot restrain your temper within the ring..."

Ruby wrinkled her nose and tried reason. "Sometimes you get disarmed in a fight. I feel the need to practice for that."

Miss Goodwitch frowned deeper. "Well, this is very irregular..."

"Can I fight him or not?" Ruby interrupted.

The teacher grunted, slinging Crescent Rose under her left arm as if the massive sniper/scythe weighed as much as a ruler. "Very well." She turned to face both her and Cardin, stepping around to the side of the ring as she did so. "The match will continue till one combatant's aura drops into the red, one of you surrenders, or at my word. Do not continue combat after that." She warned, looking more at Ruby than at Cardin.

Cardin spun his mace a few times. "What's wrong, pipsqueak? Did you break your toy?"

Ruby grinned back. "I haven't broken him yet, but wait a minute."

Cardin blinked several moments before his face hardened in anger. "Hey!"

Miss Goodwitch ignored the pre-fight banter. "And... begin!" A moment later there was a sound of flesh hitting flesh, and then the sound of metal hitting stone.

All most of the class saw from that point was the line of rose petals trailing from where Ruby had been standing to where Cardin had been standing, then Cardin flying backwards with Ruby's palm thrust into his neck being what was propelling him backwards. Cardin hit the far wall at just over fifty miles an hour, causing the stone to crack slightly under his weight. His armor held, being designed to withstand blows from powerful Grimm, but as for Cardin himself...

Ruby had used her semblance to accelerate to her top speed in a moment, and had hit Cardin with an open palm, backed by her whole body, at that velocity, in the throat. The impact had been enough to take him completely out of the ring and to the wall of the arena. Ruby dropped to her feet in front of him a second later, and absently rubbed her sore arm. It had hurt. Her hand smarted terribly, and her arm felt like she'd nearly dislocated it. But Cardin slid down to the wall in a heap, trying to breathe and failing.

Ruby walked away from him as Miss Goodwitch raced up to check on his condition. Luckily for Cardin, his Aura had held. In fact, it was still, if barely, in the yellow, just a bit over the red. Ruby's own Aura had dipped significantly as well, although it was still well in the green. Cardin, however, while he had escaped a crushed trachea because of his Aura, was in no condition to fight.

"Don't ever call her an animal again." Ruby said over her shoulder.

Miss Goodwitch stood up from where she'd been examining Cardin. "As it appears that Mister Winchester is no longer able to continue, the match goes to Ruby Rose." She walked over to where Ruby was standing, stiffly in the center of the ring, and handed Crescent Rose back to her. "In the future, perhaps a bit more restraint would be called for." She said mildly. "And you should be careful when using a suicide strike like that, for if you miss, you stand to lose more than your opponent. However... that said, well done."

Her team crowded around her as she exited the arena floor. "That was awesome, sis!" Yang was the first to congratulate her. "I don't remember the last time you moved that fast!"

Pyrrha nodded her congratulations as well. "Very nicely done, Ruby. I see our training has finally started to have real effects."

Ruby smiled gratefully. "I could never have done it without you, Pyrrha."

Blake was frowning slightly. "That was dangerous, Ruby. You could have hurt yourself." She glanced down at where Ruby was cradling her right arm. "You DID hurt yourself. Ruby... you didn't have to do that for me."

Ruby rolled her eyes. "It wasn't just for you. But you're my girlfriend. If anyone insults you, it's my job to defend your honor." She raised her right arm and made a fist, twisting her wrist this way and that. "And my arm will be fine in a couple hours. My Aura is already fixing it."

Weiss, from nearby, smiled at her. "That really was quite excellent, Ruby. Even better than you've been doing in training. I'm glad that you didn't manage to land any blows like that on me during our sparring sessions though."

Ruby blushed slightly. "I wouldn't hit you like that, Weiss."

Nora grinned. "Well, if you can pull off moves like that, Ruby, don't expect me to go easy on you during our next sparring match."

Jack was grinning as well. "I bet I could have handled that move. Cardin may be pretty strong, but he's slow, and his defense has tons of holes. I'd have blocked or dodged."

Ren looked dubious. "If you'd blocked something like that, you'd have been knocked back like Cardin was."

Jack shrugged. "I can take a hit like that if I brace for it. I get tougher every day. And if I'd blocked it solidly, Ruby would have taken almost as much damage as I did."

Yang grinned. "Sounds like a challenge, Rubes. You going to put up with that?"

Ruby smiled and shrugged. "Guess we'll just have to see during our next training session then, Jack."

Jack grinned and nodded. "It's a date." He glanced at Blake. "Not a date date..." He quickly corrected. "You know what I meant, right?"

Blake laughed. "I didn't think you were dumb enough to ask my girlfriend out right in front of me, Jack."

Jack sighed. "No. No I am not."

/-/

During their next team training session Ruby did, in fact, take Jack Spriggin up on his offer to spar. Jack, for Ruby, was still something of a mystery to solve. She'd never known him in their previous life, and he seemed like a nice guy. One thing he wasn't anymore, was shorter than her. As they squared off in the ring, Ruby look a moment to judge his height.

"Have you gotten taller?" Ruby asked incredulously.

"I'm five foot six now." Jack replied modestly. "Another couple inches and I'll be taller than Ren."

Ruby gave him a thumb's up. "Awesome. Want to trade for a month? I'd like to be a couple inches taller!"

Jack chuckled. "Sure. Super speed could be cool for a change."

Ruby's eyes twinkled. "I'll show you how cool it is."

Jack dropped into a ready stance. "Bring it on, shorty."

Ruby's eyes flashed. "Oh. It is ON!" She got into her own stance for all of half a second, then flashed forward, bursting into rose petals.

Jack brought both arms up in front of his upper body and face in the same instant and Ruby struck his arms with a clothesline at something approaching sixty miles an hour. Jack flew backwards while Ruby spun away to the side, out of control.

Jack landed on his feet twenty feet from where he'd been hit, and managed to stick the landing, then slid his right foot back to turn to face Ruby who was reorienting herself several meters away, teetering on one foot as she tried to regain her balance. Seeing he'd gotten his balance back first, Jack charged her, and with a startled yelp, Ruby burst into rose petals again and zipped away, circling him and appearing back where she'd started on the other side of the room.

Ruby shook out her right arm with a wince. "OK... ouch." She glanced at the Aura reader on the wall. It showed that both her and Jack had taken a small hit, but her Aura had apparently taken a bigger blow than his had. "OK, don't slam myself at super speed into someone who's blocking. Got it."

Jack moved in slowly, his arms in a boxer's stance. "Are you sure you don't want to try that again, Ruby? You nearly got me that time."

Ruby chuckled. "Nice try. I'm not going to break myself into pieces on your bony elbows, Jack. Thanks but no thanks."

Jack shrugged. "OK then. What have you got?"

Ruby winked. "How about this?" She leaned into a running position and zipped away again, heading straight for him. Ten feet out or so, she reappeared, spinning into a flying kick that had the bottom of her right foot flying for his center mass like a missile.

Jack, already prepared to block, did just that, crossing his arms in front of her kick. Again, he was blasted backwards halfway across the large room, and this time he failed to stick the landing, landing on his back instead, although he was quick to use the momentum to roll backward onto his feet, Ruby was on him again, blurring into rose petals the second after she landed her kick, she swept around to his right and came in again, once more coming out of her explosion of speed far enough away to bring her right leg forward in another of what was essentially a rocket powered side thrust kick.

Jack, just barely having gotten to his feet, yelped and threw himself backwards as Ruby flew by over top of him. He lashed out with a kick of his own as she flew overhead, but he missed by a mile.

Ruby landed, braced herself, and blurred into petals again before Jack could get back to his feet, and she came down onto his shoulders with both knees as he was in the middle of staggering to his feet. He face-planted with Ruby on top of him, and the buzzer rang, signaling that his Aura was in the red.

Everyone was staring in amazement, even Pyrrha. "Ruby!" She exclaimed. "I never taught you all that!"

Ruby shrugged. "Dad gave me some lessons after your spar with him, Pyrrha." Ruby explained. "He gave me a few new ideas to try, and we practiced them for awhile." She rolled off of Jack, who was groaning and slowly pushing himself to his feet.

"Ouch..." Jack moaned. "Did anyone get the number of that ballistic missile?"

Pyrrha, who'd been hurrying up to check on him, blinked in astonishment. "Jack? Are you alright?"

Jack rolled his shoulders and shrugged. "Yeah. I managed to brace a bit for the last couple hits. My head is kind of ringing, but my Aura's handling it."

Yang was moving forward as well. "Damn kid. You can really take a hit. Cardin took just one of those and was out like a light."

Jack shrugged again. "Cardin took one to the throat, and then got the back of his head introduced to the wall at full speed. I managed to block most of those." He glanced at Ruby. "Please tell me that I at least damaged your Aura."

Ruby grinned, and pointed a thumb at the Aura reader on the wall. "Not really. I hurt myself with that clothesline, and a little with my knees... but I barely lost anything with the kicks."

Jack groaned. "Damn. That's so unfair. How am I supposed to stop one of those? You come at me like a rocket, there is barely time to dodge!"

Pyrrha looked thoughtful. "Ruby has to come out of her semblance quite a bit earlier than she does when she throws a punch to get off a kick like that." She explained. "It gives you almost a full quarter of a second more time to prepare."

Jack sighed. "Well, maybe that's enough time for you to do something, but all I can seem to do is tank hits till I go down."

Blake was looking interested. "Actually, Ruby, I'd like a spar as well. Once your Aura fully recovers?"

Pyrrha raised an eyebrow. "Yes... that WOULD be an interesting match up. Wanting to see if you can use your clones to bait Ruby into making a mistake? At the speeds she's moving, a solid miss would leave her wide open."

Blake grimaced. "Do you have to explain everything I'm planning, Pyrrha? I was hoping to take Ruby by surprise for once!"

Pyrrha blushed. "Sorry."

Ruby grinned. "It's alright Blake. I knew what you were thinking too." She really did. She'd seen Blake fighting opponents who had a large speed advantage over her, and Blake had always resorted to using her clones as decoys to catch her opponent off guard. Of course, Blake had never used that particular trick in front of her in THIS timeline, but Ruby wasn't above cheating with her future knowledge.

The next match was Yang vs Nora, both girls using their weapons for once, as Nora wanted to get more time with her newly re-upgraded Magnhild MXIII, and aside from Pyrrha, Yang was the best match up for her. Nora started out strong, activating Magnhild's lightning dust crystal as she made her first major swing with the massive hammer, but rather than dodge, Yang caught the blow with a raised forearm even as her eyes flashed straight to red an instant before the electrified hammer struck. The blow powered through the block, driving Yang's arm into her side and going through to impact the blond brawler's upper shoulder hard enough to send her sprawling, but at the same time, Yang's hair burst into flame, and Yang surged up and met the second hammer swing with a punch, the force of her shotgun aided punch countering even Nora's electricity powered strength and knocking the hammer backwards with an explosive bang.

Yang jumped in, hair still flaming, and came around with the other fist before Nora could recover and hit her solidly in the stomach, blowing the smaller girl off her feet and throwing her into the back wall. With a loud buzz, the match was over. Nora slowly slid down the wall to sit in a heap at the base.

"Ow." She said weakly. "OK... I think I know this one." She raised a finger. "Don't get cocky, I'm guessing?"

Yang shrugged. "Pretty much. You've got a big power up, and you're raring to use it. Trust me, I've been there. When I figured out my semblance, I thought I could end every fight by powering up and hammering through whatever my opponent had with brute force. Trouble is, that doesn't work as well if your opponent knows what you're doing and can actually take the hit. If they survive your first hit and counterattack after you throw everything into a single blow like that, you can lose in an instant."

Nora frowned. "But most people can't take a hit like that from me."

Yang shrugged. "Ruby would have dodged, Pyrrha would have deflected it. Both of them could probably have used the moment your guard was down to get in a good hit."

Nora nodded. "Got it. So... don't get cocky."

Yang laughed. "Yeah, pretty much. If you fight the way you do when you're not powered up, stay defensive and swing in hard only when you've gotten them off balance, you'll score more effective hits, and prevent them from taking you out in one hit the way I just did." She reached down towards the smaller girl with an open hand.

Nora took it and let Yang help her to her feet. "Good lesson, teach." She grinned. "Want to go again next time?"

Yang grinned. "You got it."

* * *

**OK, if you pay attention, Ruby directly contradicts herself within the space of a few paragraphs. This is something I've noticed about Ruby. On the outside, she's shy, and nervous, and uncertain of herself. But when the chips fall, when actual consequences and the feelings or lives of other people are on the line, she's almost universally brave and heroic. So when the question of coming out to their friends comes up, she's hesitant, but when Blake mentions she's worried about how people will treat Ruby because she's dating a faunus, Ruby's fear vanishes immediately. Ruby is, for me, a very tricky character to write because of these contradictions, but at the same time, this kind of thing is why she's also one of my favorite characters.**

**Also, Ruby is obviously rapidly getting better and better at fighting as this story progresses, and all I can say is, Ruby IS a genius at combat, and she's got a ton of extra motivation this time through, and since she's able to stay ahead of her classes easier this time, thanks to having already taken them, she has more time than she did the first time through to train, and she's training HARD.**

**Also, before anyone asks, yes, the plot will continue to move forward at a rather more rapid pace in upcoming chapters. The romance plot hasn't run it's course, but it certainly has settled in for the long haul at this point, so we won't be paying nearly as much attention to the smaller details for awhile.**

**So, expect some time jumps in the near future. The regular kind, not the kind that started this story, I mean.**


	13. Chapter 13

Time wore on. Ruby approached their field trip to Forever Fall with a surge of anticipation, remembering Jaune's fight with the Ursa to protect Cardin, and how the bully had left Jaune alone after that. She was certain that something would happen. Perhaps Cardin would try for some revenge?

But to her mild disappointment, Cardin avoided her and her team for the entire trip. They gathered their sap. Nora and Ren took out an aggressive Ursa who had wandered into the area without much trouble, and the rest of the trip was entirely uneventful.

Not that it wasn't fun. Wandering through the fall colored trees with her girlfriend, even if it was part of a group, was nice, although afterwards Ruby regretted having been on edge during the entire trip. She should have taken it easy and taken the opportunity to enjoy things, but she'd been worried over what had amounted to nothing. As they were in the bullheads flying back, Ruby considered why things might have changed.

Cardin and his team, she realized, had been avoiding her and her team ever since her last fight with him in combat class. He'd been mostly avoiding Yang and Pyrrha already, being, rightfully, intimidated by her older sister and the Invincible Girl, but recently they'd started avoiding her and Blake as well. They'd been doing a bit better in classes, actually. Maybe getting trounced so thoroughly had convinced Cardin to start actually trying to improve his own abilities rather than belittle others?

Ruby snorted at that. Not likely. Still, it seemed as if Cardin wasn't really bullying anyone. Maybe she could stop worrying about him, and move on to more important matters?

When they got back to the school, Ruby hurried to their dorm room ahead of the others and checked the school calendar. The semester would end in a little more than a month. That's when, at least in the original time-line, they'd met Sun, and Penny, and Blake and Weiss had their fight, and Blake had run away after blurting out that she'd been a member of the White Fang. And the Sunday night of that weekend, Roman Torchwick had tried to steal a huge shipment of Dust from the SDC that had come in that day. They'd stopped him, and reunited with Blake. But Ruby had no intention of having things end with Roman escaping again. This time she'd catch him, and surely, now that they knew better, the police would be able to hold on to him?

Ruby sat back, and wracked her brain for a while, trying to remember the timeline as best as she could. The decorations for the Vital Festival had just been put up, and they'd been at the docks, Weiss had wanted to check out any possible competition as foreign students might be coming in, and they'd met Sun. They'd chased him, and run into Penny. So if she wanted to meet Penny... and she did, she'd need to have her team chase Sun again. That should work, right?

Ruby frowned, worried. The timing on Sun jumping off that ship and running away was pretty narrow, and they needed to be at exactly the right place at the right time. Could she convince her team to go a little early and hang around the docks for a few hours just in case she didn't get the time right? Ruby grimaced. It didn't seem likely. Maybe she should just take Blake, make it a date, and sit down at one of the nearby cafes during the appropriate time?

Ruby sighed. It was still over a month out, and suddenly she was wishing it was tomorrow. So many variables, so many things that could go wrong, and there was no way to plan for every possibility, was there? If she could time travel on command, this would be simplicity itself, but she'd had exactly zero luck figuring out how she'd managed it in the first place, and certainly she didn't wish to replicate the original event.

The door opened behind her, and the rest of her team filed in, Yang and Pyrrha talking about heading out to 'The Club' on the weekend for a date, and Ruby caught the curious and somewhat hopeful expression on her girlfriend's face and her musings on the future became little more than static in the back of her head.

"So... Yang and Pyrrha are going to be out on the town most of Saturday..." Blake began. "Want to hang out in our room together?"

Ruby raised an eyebrow curiously. "What, just, hang out? Watch movies and play games and stuff?"

Blake licked her lips nervously. "Sure. That."

Yang snorted softly. "Yeah right."

Blake looked offended. "What?"

Yang grinned. "I'm guessing you have more than hanging out and watching movies planned, Kitten."

Ruby glanced in surprise at Blake, who was blushing. "You do?"

Blake licked her lips again. "Nothing major... just... maybe a little kissing? And... things?"

Ruby blushed. "Oh."

Yang grinned. "Well, I'll text your phone when we're on our way back, Blakey, so we don't burst in on the middle of any... things."

Blake colored, but nodded. "I'd appreciate that."

/-/

Yang and Pyrrha headed out into Vale on the following Saturday, leaving Ruby and Blake alone in their shared dorm room. There was a sudden, almost palpable weight to the air in the room, as if their being alone gave their every movement more significance.

There was a long pause as neither of them spoke. Ruby glanced at Blake, noticed that the cat faunus was already looking her way, and she found herself flushing and looking away quickly. Then she scolded herself. This was Blake, why was she suddenly so nervous around her?

Ruby looked back at her girlfriend, and found Blake flushing and turning away this time. It made Ruby snort with amusement.

Blake flushed darkly and turned back, looking slightly upset, but Ruby was quick to reassure her. "I'm nervous too. I'm just relieved that I'm not the only one. It made me laugh."

Blake sighed, then smiled. "It is a little bit silly. I trust you, and we've been alone together before. It doesn't make sense for us to be nervous, does it?"

Ruby shrugged, looking a bit flustered still. "I trust you too, Blake. That doesn't mean I'm not nervous about today."

Blake's smile slipped slightly before her expression became reassuring. "We don't have to do anything. Just hanging out and watching a movie sounds lovely."

Ruby's eyes crinkled. "That's what Pyrrha says when she doesn't want people to know how she's really feeling."

Blake winced. "Er..."

Ruby smiled wider. "I'm not nervous because I don't want to... do things with you. I'm nervous because I do, and it's kind of scaring me how intense those feelings are sometimes."

Blake blinked, then her smile warmed. "Well... can I say that's kind of flattering?"

Ruby blushed. "OK, now I'm nervous AND embarrassed." Blake stood up and crossed the room to sit next to Ruby, who'd been sitting on Pyrrha's bed, and sat down next to her. Ruby immediately leaned against the larger girl, letting her know that she was more than welcome to do so.

"You're really cute when you're embarrassed." Blake teased lightly, causing Ruby to whine softly under her breath, which made Blake giggle. Ruby pouted and halfheartedly punched Blake in the arm, and Blake snorted and fought to stop giggling. "Sorry... sorry. But you are. You're so cute. I can't help it." Ruby sighed and leaned into Blake harder, and Blake put an arm around Ruby's waist and gave her a sideways hug, then kissed the top of her head. "You're not the only one who's nervous." Blake admitted quietly. "And you're not the only one who's embarrassed at how much you want..." Blake started to blush seriously now, seeming unable to continue talking for the moment.

Ruby nodded slowly, her face also flaming. "Why don't we... um... pick out a movie to watch?"

Blake nodded back, not quite trusting herself to speak, apparently. "Yes." She finally answered.

Ruby worked on her scroll, then brought up the room's big holographic screen, and started scrolling through a number of movie choices. "What do you want to watch?" She asked politely as she scrolled slowly down from choice to choice.

"Whatever you want to watch..." Blake said agreeably. "I don't care."

Ruby blinked, looking confused. "You don't care?"

Blake blushed again. "I just want the excuse to cuddle with you. The movie isn't important."

Ruby blinked a second time, then grinned slightly. "Oh. OK." She scanned a bit farther, then clicked on the first Spruce Willis movie she saw, one she'd already seen half a dozen times. "Works for me."

As the movie titles started to roll, Blake licked her lips lightly. "Let's change into our pajamas." She suggested with an artificially casual tone.

Ruby raised an eyebrow, but smiled again. "OK."

She stood up, got her usual tank top and sleep pants out of her dresser and moved towards the bathroom. Even as she was closing the door, she could hear Blake quickly struggling out of her own clothing.

Ruby changed quickly, coming out into their bedroom just as the movie itself was starting to play. Blake's clothes were scattered across her bed, and she was wearing her usual short yukata, and had piled a bunch of pillows on the floor in front of the screen. Blake looked up towards Ruby, then settled into the pillows, then spread her legs wide and patted the space on the floor right in front of her. Ruby grinned and plopped down in Blake's lap, leaning back against the larger girl so that her head rested lightly against Blake's breasts. Blake didn't protest, but put a hand in Ruby's hair, stroking it lightly as they both settled into watch the movie.

Ruby loved feeling Blake stroking her hair, but after awhile, Blake's hand stilled as she started paying a little more attention to the movie, and starting to get a bit engrossed herself, Ruby leaned forward to pay closer attention as well. There was a reason she'd seen this particular movie half a dozen times already, after all. She loved these kinds of action movies, all explosions and cool weapons and exciting action. Things calmed down on the screen for a moment, and she felt Blake's hands on her back, starting to give her a gentle back massage. Ruby cooed lightly and leaned forward to give Blake better access, and Blake responded, paying more attention to Ruby's back than the movie for once. Ruby was NOT complaining, however.

Blake's hands ran down the back of her tank top, then lower, resting on the exposed skin of Ruby's lower back before gently stroking the skin there directly. Ruby froze at the contact, her breath coming out in a gasp, and Blake froze as well. Ruby blew out a slow shaky breath, but for some reason, Blake wasn't moving. Gingerly, Blake brought her hands back up to the part of Ruby's back covered by her tank top and started the massage again, and Ruby started breathing again. But she found she was more than a little disappointed.

"You didn't have to stop." Ruby said softly in the relative quiet of Spruce Willis silently sneaking up on a bad guy.

"I... didn't stop?" Blake said carefully.

"I liked it. That's why I froze up." Ruby explained patiently. "If I'm uncomfortable, I promise I'll tell you."

Blake didn't say anything, but her hands slipped down towards Ruby's waist again. Spruce Willis leapt upon his opponent, a huge man with wild hair and eyes, and they struggled, crashing through walls and furniture, but Ruby was having trouble hearing the action over the hammering of her own heartbeat. But Blake's hands felt incredible against her skin, and there was no way on Remnant that she wanted the older girl to stop what she was doing.

Then, Blake's fingers slipped under the bottom of Ruby's tank top, gently stroking the skin of her back a little higher up. Ruby shivered but didn't say anything, and Blake's hands slipped higher, and then higher, till Blake's hands were completely under the fabric, stroking the skin of her back nearly all the way up to her neck.

Ruby was shivering harder now, and she was fighting tooth and nail inside her mind against a terrible, awful, nearly irresistible temptation. She wanted to pull her tank top off and give Blake unrestricted access to her back. She wanted it so badly that it felt like her brain might explode, and yet she was too terrified to move. What if Blake thought she was going too fast? What if Blake thought she was a hussy? What if Yang and Pyrrha came back early? What if someone from team Winter decided to pop by?

Ruby hit the pause button on the movie, then gathered her legs under her and stood.

Blake sat back, confused and looking worried. "Was... was that too much?"

Ruby went quickly to the door, and thumbed the locking mechanism that would keep anyone from the outside from being able to enter unless she disabled the lock herself first, then she strode back to Blake, plopping down in front of her, facing her this time, her eyes serious and slightly scared.

"It wasn't too much." Ruby said quietly. "But... but... and you're going to think I'm easy or a hussy or something but..."

Blake swallowed, then shook her head. "I really don't think I will, Ruby. What is it?"

Ruby turned her back on Blake, then pulled her tank top up over her head, leaving it hanging off her shoulders and concealing her chest, mostly, but leaving her back almost entirely exposed. Ruby fumbled for her scroll, attempting to do so without exposing her breasts, and succeeded, mostly, although she was pretty sure Blake might have caught a glimpse or two of some side boob for a moment. Then she started the movie back up again.

Blake's hands returned to her now bared back, and she went back to the massage. A shiver ran through Ruby's body again, and she couldn't seem to stay focused very well on the action happening on screen, but she didn't care. This was wonderful. Terrifying... absolutely terrifying, but wonderful too.

About halfway through the movie, Blake's hands started to slow, and Ruby guiltily realized that Blake had been giving her a massage for nearly an hour now.

Ruby glanced back over her shoulder at her faunus teammate. "Want to trade places for awhile?" She suggested cautiously.

Blake smiled and nodded. "Yes. I'd like that."

Ruby slowly pulled the neck of her tank top over her head and let it fall down over her back again, then adjusted it, making sure she was decent again before crawling around behind Blake, who scooted forward a bit so that Ruby could settle into the pillows Blake had been using.

Ruby moved into position, then frowned. Unless she leaned to the side, she couldn't see most of the screen from behind her taller girlfriend. "How about you lie on your front? I can't see the movie from back here."

Blake chuckled, but did as requested, grabbing some pillows to prop under her elbows so she could watch the movie by propping herself up on her elbows with the pillows supporting her. Ruby reached for Blake's back, and started giving her a gentle massage. Blake's yukata was made from a very soft material, and Ruby could tell that Blake wore nothing under it, at least on top, so that she could give her girlfriend a pretty decent back rub. But she had to ask.

"Would... would you like to...?" She blushed, then tried again. "Would you like it if I...?" She reached up and gave the neck of the yukata the tiniest tug downward, trying to indicate what she wanted without saying the words.

Blake didn't look at her, but nodded, then reached up to the neck of her robe and opened it, then slid it down her shoulders a bit. "Go ahead." She said quietly.

Ruby swallowed but gently reached up and slowly pulled the yukata down Blake's back, till it was halfway down to her waist, kept from going further down only by Blake's elbows resting on the material inside of her own short sleeves in front of her. After a moment's hesitation, Blake grunted and leaned to the left, pulling her right arm out of its sleeve, then rolled the other way, getting her left arm out. She then settled back down again, her yukata pulled down to her waist, held in place there by the soft belt of the same material the yukata was made of that usually held it closed.

Ruby licked her lips, taking in the sight of her half-naked girlfriend from behind. It was crazy. She'd seen more in the locker room. She'd seen herself naked hundreds of times in the mirror, but just the sight of Blake's exposed back was threatening to cause Ruby's brain to shut down entirely.

Ruby moved in close to Blake's side, then slowly started to massage her bare back, amazed by how soft and smooth the cat faunus' skin was. The movie played on, but neither one of them was paying much attention. After ten minutes, Blake gave up the pretense entirely, laying down flat on the pillows and putting her head down amidst the pillows so that she could simply enjoy the massage.

The movie ended, and the credits rolled, and Ruby finally stopped rubbing her hands up and down Blake's glorious skin. She laid down on her side instead, facing Blake through the mounds of pillows on the floor.

"Blake?" Ruby said quietly.

"Yes Ruby?" Blake said back with equal quiet seriousness.

"Am I doing this right?" Ruby asked earnestly, sounding slightly confused.

"Doing what right?"

"Being a girlfriend." Ruby explained. "I feel like I don't know what I'm doing half the time."

Blake smiled, turning to face her, pulling a pillow to her chest to keep her front covered. "I think you're doing great, Ruby."

Ruby looked happy, but not quite convinced. "Really?"

Blake nodded seriously. "Really, really." She assured somberly. The cat faunus smiled warmly at her then. "This was wonderful. You've been wonderful."

Ruby beamed back. "You too. And yes. It was pretty wonderful, huh?" Blake nodded, and Ruby giggled slightly. "And more than slightly terrifying."

Blake nodded at that. "Yes. I'm terrified of pushing too hard, Ruby. I don't want to do anything that could scare you away."

Ruby smiled softly. "I don't think you could do anything that would scare me away, Blake. I really like being your girlfriend."

Blake hesitated. "I'm not pushing too fast?"

Ruby shook her head. "Just the right amount of fast, I think. Although I probably would have let you do just about anything you wanted today."

Blake blushed crimson. "I wouldn't!"

Ruby raised an eyebrow. "Don't you want to?"

Blake choked. "Of course I do! But...!" She seemed unable to finish the thought.

Ruby put out a hand and touched Blake's cheek. "Maybe it would have been too quick, but... I wasn't really in the mood to be sensible about things."

Blake buried her face in her pillows, and shook her head. When she finally emerged, she was blushing still, but she nodded. "I know exactly how you feel... but..." She seemed to think about it. "But I don't want to rush. We have time."

Ruby seemed to feel the air being sucked from the room. Time? Did they really? Cinder was coming. Maybe... probably... Ruby had been doing her very best to believe that things would work out this time, but would they really?

Blake started to look concerned. "Ruby? Are you alright? What's wrong?"

Ruby shook her head. "No... nothing." She shook it again, firmer this time. "It's nothing. It's stupid."

Blake sat up, still holding the pillow to her chest with one hand, but reaching out to cup Ruby's chin with the other. "What is it, Ruby? Talk to me."

Ruby looked away, trying to think up a lie that wasn't too far from the truth. "I know it's dumb but... we're huntresses. Huntresses die. It happens. We train and we train and we protect each other as best as we can, but we're all planning on doing the most dangerous job on Remnant for a living."

Blake nodded somberly. "I know. And I won't pretend that nothing will ever happen to us. I'll do everything in my power to keep you safe. To keep Yang and Pyrrha safe too. And I won't take any stupid chances myself. I love this life far too much to want to leave it. But yes, I know. I know I can't promise you that we'll all live till we're little old lady huntresses retired in a big house together."

Ruby giggled. "We'd be the scariest bunch of little old ladies ever."

Blake laughed. "You're not wrong." She sobered again. "But... we do have time, Ruby. We're in school still, for nearly four more years. And even after that, we'll be together, looking out for each other, and not taking stupid chances. We're going to be around for a long time, Ruby Rose. I know we are."

Ruby nodded slowly. "I... yeah. I know that." She lied. She did NOT know that. She knew that something dangerous was coming, and in MUCH less than three or four years. And the thought of losing what she had now, it terrified her. But she swallowed and forced the fear down, forced herself to meet Blake's eyes and smile.

"Yeah. You're right. We're going to be fine." Ruby said with as much confidence as she could muster. "There's no rush."

Blake nodded softly. "There's no rush." She glanced down at her mostly exposed torso, modesty covered only by the single pillow she was holding, and blushed again, but lightly this time, still smiling. "And... I like this. This pace. I want to experience every moment of... of us. I don't want to rush any part of this."

Ruby sighed, then smiled, and nodded. "OK." She blushed slightly. "Is it weird that it feels like I'm the one who's pushing you to go faster now instead of the other way around?"

Blake grinned. "Maybe, but I like it. And if you really can't wait anymore... well... I won't stop you."

Ruby's face went flaming red. "Maybe... maybe we can wait just a little longer before going... any farther?"

Blake smiled and simply nodded. "OK."

/-/

Another couple weeks passed. Ruby kept finding herself distracted from her plans for thwarting Torchwick and Cinder Fall by Blake's near constant presence. Blake could be VERY distracting. Not that Ruby disliked it. She was nearly giddy at times with how much she was enjoying spending time with the older girl. Yang and Pyrrha seemed to be having a lot of fun as well, and Ruby was genuinely happy for them. This timeline was turning out to be amazing in a lot of ways. She had never thought she'd end up being romantically involved with one of her friends, but she certainly didn't mind it. Unfortunately, dark thoughts kept ruining her mood whenever she considered how lucky she'd gotten this time through. It'd come at a price. Jaune Arc had died because she'd changed things, and while Ruby swore that her first friend at Beacon would be the last casualty of her inadvertent trip backwards in time, she couldn't be sure. She'd changed so much, how could she know what changes would end up being mistakes?

It was getting close now. It was less than a week till the city started putting up decorations for the upcoming Vital Festival. Those decorations going up had figured prominently in her memories of the day she'd first met Sun Wukong and Penny, although she hadn't learned the Monkey Faunus' name until the fight on the docks was over, two days after their first encounter. A selfish part of her was tempted to avoid meeting the boy coming off the ship he'd stowed away on this time through. He'd been helpful, but at the same time, he'd formed an immediate connection to Blake. He'd obviously liked Blake a lot, and Ruby really didn't want the competition. She considered her earlier thoughts of taking Blake to a date that day and found herself reconsidering. Blake would be bored, just waiting, and Ruby wouldn't be able to explain why. And then Sun would show up, and flash her that smile and... Ruby grimaced, not liking the picture.

She didn't like feeling jealous, more so because avoiding Sun would mean it would be harder to find Penny. Penny had been wandering around the city, and Vale wasn't a small place. Ruby didn't remember the exact time and place of their meeting, but she did know that following Sun after he ran away from the docks was how she could find her. Presumably neither Sun's trip stowing away on that ship nor Penny's visit to Vale would have been altered by the changes she'd made to the timeline, right? Sun was from Mistral and Penny had come to Vale from Atlas with General Ironwood. She couldn't have changed anything that far away, could she?

Ruby immediately worried about that. COULD she have changed when General Ironwood arrived somehow? She didn't know. He was there at the school dance, she remembered, but had to have arrived earlier, right? She found she couldn't quite remember exactly when she'd learned he'd showed up. He'd danced with Professor Goodwitch at the school dance, hadn't he? Yang had told her about it afterwords, although not even her sister had dared tease the combat teacher about it.

Ruby went back to planning. The main drawback to her plan to take Blake with her was that if she was too early, it would seem odd to her girlfriend that she just wanted to hang out at the docks and watch the ships being unloaded. That was really not her normal thing at all, and she'd have questions. Better to go by herself, perhaps? Ruby nodded slowly. Just like with waiting for Roman at Dust till Dawn, this was something that it would be better to do solo. It'd be a shame to have to ditch Blake on what was sure to be a great day for a date, but it was too important to get this right.

No, she decided firmly, she wouldn't bring Blake along. There were too many complications. She couldn't remember when they'd gotten to Vale that day, so there was nothing for it but to take the first Bullhead that morning and wait at the docks till Sun showed up. Then she could find Penny. If there was anyone she was worried about besides Pyrrha, it was Penny. Penny and Pyrrha, more than anyone else, were who she'd come back in time to save.

Although was that really why she'd come back? She hadn't chosen to travel through time. It had just happened. Yes, it'd happened right after she'd seen Pyrrha's death, which was kind of telling, but how had she done it? What had given her the power to travel in time? Was it some sort of second semblance? Maybe she could move so fast she could break the time barrier? She'd read a comic book where the hero could do that. But she didn't remember running. Maybe it was someone else who'd sent her back? Someone who'd wanted to save everyone and for some reason had chosen her to be the one to travel back and fix everything. If so, Ruby was grateful. She would make the most of this second chance.

So she'd take the first Bullhead into Vale and hang about on the docks, find Penny and befriend her. It wouldn't be difficult. Penny had practically leaped upon the word friend as if it was a lifeline and she'd been drowning. It had been kind of sad, really, but Ruby wouldn't leave Penny friendless if she could help it. And she'd do more to spend time with the android if she could.

Her plans set, Ruby started trying to figure out what she'd tell her team to explain why she wanted to go into Vale alone.

/-/

She hadn't come up with anything. Ruby had thrown away half a dozen plans for how to go into Vale without including her team. They'd either been too complicated, or had involved lying to them, usually by getting someone else to vouch for her. But everything she'd thought of had the drawback of being something that her team could find out about, and being caught in a lie just wasn't something Ruby wanted to do, even if it was for the best of reasons. Finally, she'd decided to go with a partial truth.

"I just want to spend the day in Vale." Ruby explained patiently to her team the night before. "Alone. I know, it'd probably be a great day for a date, but... tomorrow I just want to go alone."

Yang looked suspicious. "Why? You love going into Vale as a group."

Ruby raised an eyebrow. "Not always. I was shopping in Vale by myself the day I stopped Roman Torchwick, wasn't I?"

Yang hesitated. "True..." Her eyes went slightly wider. "Ah. OK, sis. I get ya."

Blake and Pyrrha, both paying close attention to the conversation, glanced at each other in confusion. Blake, having caught Pyrrha's eye, looked thoughtful, then nodded towards Yang knowingly. Pyrrha considered that, then nodded as well.

When Ruby went to take a shower before bed, the two of them cornered Yang.

"OK, what is Ruby up to, Yang?" Blake asked, trying not to sound accusatory. "You figured it out, didn't you?"

Yang shrugged. "Ruby wants to go into Vale alone. I'm guessing it's to go shopping for something."

Pyrrha blinked. "Oh? Do you think she's planning on getting a present for someone?" She and Yang both looked at Blake.

Blake looked confused. "Well, it's not my birthday... that's in four months."

Yang shrugged, then grinned. "Maybe she's going to buy you something... sexy."

Pyrrha blushed, then giggled. "Do you really think so?"

Yang shrugged, grinning still. "Well, a year ago, I'd say no way... but I also would never have suspected she'd be dating already. But yeah, if she wanted to get Blakey here something... special, she'd want to do it alone. She'd be too embarrassed to have us along."

Pyrrha nodded thoughtfully. "That does make sense."

Blake frowned. "Do you really think that's what it is?"

Yang shrugged again. "Probably. I mean, what else could it be? It's not like she's got another girlfriend on the side."

Blake chuckled. "True. Ruby wouldn't do anything like that." She frowned. "Do you think I should get HER something?"

Yang shook her head. "Wait till you find out what it is. Ruby may be just birthday shopping early so you don't figure out what she's up to, or she might wait a few weeks for some privacy to spring her sexy surprise on you... either way, you should just wait and see what she's got in mind first."

Blake sighed. "I suppose." She sniffed. "Now I kind of want to follow her and see what she's got in mind."

Yang raised an eyebrow. "If Ruby catches you spying on her, she'll be pissed."

Blake matched Yang eyebrow for eyebrow. "What makes you think she'll spot me? Did you forget the ninja part of Ninja Cat Girl?"

Pyrrha blinked. "I thought you hated it when Yang calls you that."

Blake shrugged. "Eh, what can I say, I'm a cat faunus, and I'm really, really sneaky when I want to be. I'm practically a ninja." She blushed slightly. "Besides, Ruby likes ninjas."

Yang laughed. "Playing into the role, hmm? Sneaky in more ways than one, Kitten."

Blake stuck out her tongue at Yang, who just chuckled. "Watch out, Kitten, or I'll take that as an invitation."

Pyrrha snorted. "Not in front of me, I hope."

Yang turned to her statuesque girlfriend and grinned at her. "Why? Want to join in?"

Pyrrha and Blake both hit Yang with a pillow at the same time.

/-/

The trouble with trying to shadow her girlfriend's trip into Vale, besides the niggling sense of guilt at sneaking around behind Ruby's back, was the fact that Ruby had taken the first Bullhead into the city, and no matter how good at stealth Blake was, she couldn't sneak onto the Bullhead without Ruby noticing. Not unless she snuck into the pilot's compartment, but, then she'd have to explain herself to the pilot, unless she planned on knocking him out and flying the Bullhead into Vale herself, a skill she'd never had time to master, although the White Fang HAD had a few Bullheads she could have practiced on if she'd thought of it at the time.

Still, she'd taken so long dithering over how to follow Ruby onto the Bullhead without being spotted that the ship had taken off while she was still considering options, and now she was stuck at Beacon for an hour before the next flight into the city.

She momentarily considered badgering Yang for a ride into the city on Bumblebee, but while Yang hadn't expressly disapproved of the idea of Blake sneaking after her sister, she felt that the older sister really wouldn't approve all that much, and would probably end up telling Ruby about it herself unless Blake could come up with a really good reason for Yang to stay quiet. Blake sighed. She could wait for the next Bullhead in an hour. Ruby had specifically stated that she planned on being in Vale for most of the day, so missing an hour wouldn't be all that bad. Blake pulled out her scroll and opened the application that Yang and Ruby had suggested that the entire team get that allowed them to track each other's scrolls. It really was an invaluable tool for a team of huntresses, and it made her mission today almost comically easy. So long as Ruby kept her scroll on, anyway.

Blake spent the next hour waiting and watching her own scroll. Most people might have been bored at staring at a slowly moving dot for that long, but if she was anything, Blake was a huntress. Tracking her prey was nearly an intrinsic part of her nature. Just because she could be distracted by a laser pointer didn't mean she couldn't focus when she wanted to. It had just been annoying. It wasn't that she was a cat faunus! That would be ridiculous!

Blake watched as the dot indicating Ruby's scroll moved slowly across the map of Vale till it reached the docks. Right on the waterfront in fact. Curiously, Blake searched the map for any stores that might be in the area, but nothing really looked right. There was a dust shop nearby. Maybe Ruby was really just shopping for weapons? Or dust? She knew that Blake couldn't afford the best dust for spars. Maybe she was just going to get her some dust ammo so she could use it with her semblance? That would be nice, although Blake couldn't help but feel a little guilty about it. Ruby got some money from her father every month, and it was certainly more than Blake got from her small school stipend, but it wasn't all THAT much. Should she really let her girlfriend buy her things like that?

Blake sighed. "Yang's right. I at least need to know what she's going to get me before I know what to do about it." She looked up, noticing that the second Bullhead going into Vale for the day had arrived, and hurried on board. "Now, let's find us a cute little reaper." She murmured to herself.

Stepping off the airship, Blake checked her scroll again. Ruby hadn't moved. Her girlfriend, and the youngest team leader in Beacon, had been at the same place for the past half hour at least. Maybe it was taking her a while to choose? Or she could be reading weapon magazines at the dust shop? Blake knew how much Ruby liked reading up about the latest breakthroughs in weapon's technology. She nodded to herself. That was probably it.

As she made her way through Vale, however, and zoomed in on the map program to get a better idea of Ruby's location as she got closer, she frowned to herself. Ruby was nearly two blocks away from the Dust shop, and she hadn't moved in nearly an hour now. What was she doing? Her dot seemed to be right on the edge of the water. What was in that spot that was keeping Ruby's attention?

Blake frowned worriedly. Did Ruby lose her scroll? Maybe that was it. She could have dropped her scroll on the docks, and have no idea where she'd lost it. Well, Blake could certainly help her girlfriend out by finding her lost scroll, couldn't she? It would be the least she could do.

Blake turned the final corner not really expecting to see Ruby at all. She figured she'd have to search around a bit for the scroll, but there really didn't seem to be anything around that would attract her girlfriend's attention. So spotting Ruby leaning up against a railing and watching the ocean caused Blake to stumble to a halt. She was there! She hadn't lost her scroll, she was right in front of her, and she'd been... what? Looking at the incoming ships for the past hour?

Blake glanced around then quickly slipped back around the corner before Ruby could turn and spot her. Carefully, she peeked around the corner. Ruby was in the same place, still looking out to sea... or perhaps at one of the ships in dock, or maybe one of the ones coming in? Blake couldn't really tell from her position, and she glanced around carefully, realizing that she'd attract unwanted attention herself if she continued to act so suspiciously.

She considered her options for half a minute, then made a decision. Whatever it was Ruby was doing, she'd spot Blake sooner or later unless Blake stepped up her game a little. Time to act like the ex-terrorist infiltrator that she was.

Blake finished pulling herself up onto the roof across the street from where Ruby was standing, and crossed over silently to peer down at her fearless leader from above. She wasn't overly concerned about Ruby spotting her now. Nobody ever thought to look up, and she'd crossed over many a city's rooftops while on missions for the White Fang. With her agility and semblance, moving rooftop to rooftop was child's play, and it gave her multiple advantages for endeavors such as the one she was on now. Blake wrinkled her nose. What was she doing anyway? Spying on her girlfriend? Didn't she trust her?

Blake shook her head. "I trust Ruby. I... I just want to see what she's doing...?" She buried her face in her hands. "What am I doing? This is stupid..." Blake was suddenly tempted to just leave, but she couldn't help but be insanely curious about what Ruby was up to. Sure, Ruby could just have a secret fondness for watching the ships come into dock. It wasn't the strangest hobby she'd heard of. Some people liked to go to the airport just to watch airships come in, right? There was a group of people who called themselves Train Watchers or something like that, wasn't there? Maybe Ruby was just dreaming about traveling on the ocean? Maybe even thinking about going to Menagerie to visit Blake's parents. That could be it, right?

Blake's curiosity won out over her guilt. She didn't mean Ruby any harm, after all, and it wasn't that she didn't trust her. It was just that she wanted to know more about her, right? Blake let herself try to believe that as she settled in to wait.

And wait, and wait. An hour passed, then a second. Blake frowned as she saw Ruby take out her phone and start playing a game without leaving her position. At first it'd seemed like Ruby had been just watching for fun, but now it seemed more like Ruby was waiting for something? Or someone? Who? Blake felt another strong surge of guilt at spying, but her curiosity was aflame now. She HAD to know. She'd deal with the guilt, but she could not resist the mystery. What on Remnant was Ruby doing?

A cargo ship slowly came in, right in front of where Ruby had been standing, and Blake blinked in surprise as Ruby put away her scroll and seemed to be paying the ship keen attention. Why was Ruby so intent on a cargo ship of all things?

A sudden thought struck Blake like a heavy weight. The White Fang! What if, somehow, Ruby had figured out how some White Fang were sneaking into Vale? Or maybe she'd heard about a robbery planned for that cargo ship? Or perhaps there was something especially valuable on board that Roman Torchwick might be interested in?

Blake hunkered down lower as the possibilities ran through her head. If there were some people from the White Fang coming in on that cargo ship, they very well might have people nearby waiting for them, and those people WOULD be likely to check the rooftops for observers... or be using the rooftops themselves. She glanced carefully right and left, scanned her own rooftop and the ones nearby for any sign of life, but there was nothing. Nothing she could see, anyway, but there were plenty of places that could see that part of the docks that she couldn't make out from her vantage point. She might have already been spotted herself, for that matter.

Blake frowned at the possibility, then dismissed it. It was unlikely, and even if she had been spotted, there was little she could do about it now. If she was approached or attacked, she could leap down to the street and gain Ruby's aid, assuming she'd need help at all. Few members of the White Fang were her match in combat, even in groups. There were a few more dangerous members, but none of them would be out here surveying a cargo ship in the middle of the day. They had people for that, and generally not fighters.

Blake waited, her eyes constantly on the move, scanning the ship, the dock, Ruby's position, and the nearby rooftops. She wasn't so distracted that she missed the athletic looking young man vaulting from the ship and fleeing from some of it's crew.

Bright blond hair, an open shirt, and an obvious blond monkey tail made him more than a little distinctive. He was a monkey faunus for sure, and from the shouting, he'd stowed away on that ship. A new recruit for the White Fang then? It fit why Ruby would be here. She found herself a little upset at her team leader for not sharing the lead with her, but not so much that she would let Ruby's plan go to waste. Ruby sprinting after him a few seconds after he ran buy her erased her last doubts. Blake leapt into pursuit. She jogged silently along her rooftop, gauging where the Monkey faunus was headed, and where Ruby's pursuit would limit his options for flight, and burst into a sprint, leaping across to the next rooftop over as she moved to intercept the young man where she suspected he'd attempt to make a break for the rooftops himself in order to evade pursuit.

Blake hadn't been one of the White Fang's best operatives just because of her fighting skills, after all. She glanced down at a commotion below and winced as Ruby crashed headlong into a pedestrian, but kept up her pursuit. Ruby would be fine, and Blake would catch the man herself, and make sure that Ruby's efforts weren't in vain. Ruby might be a little annoyed at Blake for sneaking after her, but it would be worth it. Whoever this was, he must be important for Ruby to be so focused on catching him.

The monkey faunus never saw her coming. She reached the place she thought he would be most likely to go for the rooftops a full ten seconds before he did, and as he vaulted onto the roof she leapt from her place of concealment behind a Dust air conditioner to tackle him. Gamble Shroud came out in a flash and she brought the blade to his throat before he could try and force her off him.

The monkey faunus froze at the feel of cold steel against his windpipe. "Whoa!" He said quickly. "I surrender, OK? You can have my wallet or whatever..."

Blake frowned down at him. "I'm not here to rob you." She hissed. "I want you to talk."

The monkey faunus blinked. "Er... OK? Um... what would you like to talk about?"

Blake frowned. "Why are you here in Vale?"

The potential terrorist blinked again. "Er... the Vital Festival?"

Blake looked horrified. "You're planning on attacking the Vital Festival!?"

The young man looked confused. "Attacking? No, I'm here to compete in it. You know... with my team?"

Blake started looking confused herself. "Wait... your team? Compete? You're... you're a student?"

The young man nodded shallowly, careful of the blade at his throat. "Yeah... here from Haven academy to compete in the tournament. Team SSSN. I'm Sun Wukong."

Blake frowned. "You're not with the White Fang?"

The young man frowned. "Those holier than thou assholes? Hell no." He frowned. "Are you racially profiling me? You know, not all faunus are criminals, right?"

Blake reached back and undid her bow. "Yes, I do know that." She said, glaring at him as her cat ears were revealed. "If you're not a criminal, why were you stowing away on that ship?"

Sun looked sheepish. "Well, I kind of wanted to check out Vale early, and I didn't want to wait for the passenger ship my team's coming in on, so I stowed away. But that doesn't make me a criminal!"

Blake raised an eyebrow. "Um... yes it does."

Sun winced. "Well... OK, but just a stowaway. I'm not some kind of crazy terrorist nutjob."

Blake tried not to take offense at that, failed, but pulled back her blade and stood up, letting the monkey faunus go. "Fine. Case of mistaken identity, I guess." She wasn't really sure of that, but at the same time, he seemed to be telling the truth. More than that, unless he was a fantastic actor, he didn't seem like the type of person who could lie so easily. He really seemed to dislike the White Fang. It wasn't unusual. While quite a few faunus supported them, especially back in Menagerie, many saw the White Fang as having made their own lives worse by comparison.

Sun stood up and rubbed his neck, as if checking for damage, and gave her a half-hearted glare. "What was that about anyway? Are you trying to hunt down the White Fang or something?"

Blake frowned. "Something like that. I thought that they might be sneaking some people in on that cargo ship..."

Sun shrugged. "Not that I saw, although I guess I couldn't be sure, seeing as I was hiding myself. It was a big ship. Still, I didn't see anything suspicious, and I did sneak around a bit while I was there."

Blake frowned. "Are you sure? Maybe it's just something valuable? Weapons, or Dust, maybe?"

Sun blinked. "Nah, that ship was mostly just food." He looked thoughtful. "Although I DID hear about an SDC shipment that's coming into port in a couple more days. Some of the guys on that ship were talking about it."

Blake blinked. "Really?"

Sun shrugged. "Yeah. I mean, if I was looking to steal some Dust, that's where I'd go. They said something about Dust being pretty scarce here in Vale and that the SDC was bringing in this huge shipment to cash in on that."

Blake nodded slowly. "Makes sense." She blushed faintly. "Er... I'm sorry I thought you were part of the White Fang. And for the whole threatening to kill you thing."

Sun snorted, then laughed. "Nah, it's fine. If the worst thing that happens to me is that a cute girl jumps onto me and knocks me over, I'll be pretty happy." Blake blushed at that, causing Sun to color lightly as well. He recovered quickly though. "So... you want to catch the White Fang, huh? What'd they do to you?"

Blake frowned. "It's complicated."

Sun shrugged. "Well, tell me about it. Maybe I can help?"

Blake frowned deeper, now suspicious again. "Why do you want to help me?"

Sun shrugged again. "Why not? You're trying to fight terrorists... that's pretty cool. Maybe I just want to help?"

Blake hesitated. "You don't even know me. And I attacked you."

Sun grinned. "You thought I was a bad guy, and you were super cool by the way. Totally got the drop on me. Very ninja."

Blake blinked. "And you're not mad?"

Sun scoffed at that. "Nah. I'm cool, and you seem pretty interesting. I've got a week before my team shows up anyway. Sounds like a pretty awesome way to fill the time."

Blake just gaped at him. "Seriously?"

Sun grinned at her. "So... want me to tell you which dock that SDC shipment is coming in at?"

/-/

Ruby was nearly giggling with satisfaction as she rode the Bullhead back to Beacon. Today had been a complete success. She'd found Penny, 'accidentally' bumped into her and then dropped the 'see you later, friend' line on the android. And it'd worked. Penny had leapt at the cue just like the last time, only this time it was exactly what Ruby wanted. Penny really was the sweetest thing. Sure she was unsophisticated, and had very little in the way of social skills, but she was a genuinely nice person. Ruby had spent the rest of the day with her, sightseeing and chatting idly, and they'd ended the day by exchanging scroll information.

As if to remind her, her scroll pinged with a new message.

**_NormalAtlasGirl28: Hello friend Ruby!_**

Ruby texted back immediately. **Hi Penny!**

**_NormalAtlasGirl28: I am so glad to make a new friend! Can we hang out tomorrow?  
_**

Ruby considered that. She wanted Penny's help with the dockyard, but that wasn't for two more days. **I'll have to check with my team first, but maybe? I'll be in Vale on Sunday for sure though! We can meet up then!  
**

****_NormalAtlasGirl28: I look forward to seeing you soon, friend Ruby!  
_****

**I'll text you tomorrow about it.** Ruby responded.

**_NormalAtlasGirl28: I will happily anticipate that moment, friend Ruby! I shall wait for your text!_**

**Talk to you tomorrow then!** Ruby typed swiftly, meaning it. It wouldn't be right to mess with Penny's feelings, as innocent as they were. Penny was one of the most genuinely nice people Ruby had ever known, despite her being not quite human. Ruby shook her head. Penny was a person. She had a soul, and that counted, as far as she was concerned. She'd never think of her as less than anyone else just because she was made instead of born. The first time through, Penny had kind of weirded her out at first, causing Ruby to miss out on forming the kind of friendship with the girl that Ruby regretted not forming the first time. But this time would be different. Maybe General Ironwood would take Penny away again after things happened at the docks, but this time Ruby wouldn't lose contact with Penny. Not if she could help it.

Ruby frowned as she considered how to do that. Penny was a robot. Maybe she would be able to text Ruby somehow without the General knowing about it? Robots were good with technology, right? That made sense. Didn't it?

As the airship started it's final approach to Beacon, Ruby's thoughts went back to the other reason she'd gone out today. Torchwick would raid the SDC shipment on the docks in two days, and she needed to be ready. She already had a plan to get her team involved, and with luck, she could convince team Winter to come along as well. With the two teams and Penny there from the start, she was sure that they could capture Torchwick this time. There was only one issue. Torchwick had a partner. A small girl... even smaller than Ruby, who had appeared to rescue Torchwick on more than one occasion. She was a tricky problem. The first time Ruby had seen her, she'd blocked one of Yang's fire dust rounds with her umbrella, then somehow spirited Torchwick away onto an airship while leaving behind some sort of visual illusion. Yang had punched where she thought Torchwick and his ally were, and they'd shattered like glass, only for Torchwick and the girl to be a hundred feet away, already escaping on their airship.

"Some sort of illusion semblance?" Ruby guessed, trying to remember what else she knew about the small ice-cream themed girl. On the battleship, Ruby was certain she had seen the girl wearing what looked like an Atlas military uniform, and then her clothes had changed, flowing upwards with an effect like breaking glass that left her wearing the same combat outfit that Ruby had seen her in before. It had to be some sort of illusion semblance. Could that be how they'd tricked Yang into punching Mercury in the leg? Ruby shook her head. No, that had been something different, hadn't it? Everyone had seen Torchwick's accomplice make the illusion, or image or whatever of her and Torchwick after the fight against the Paladin, but Yang had been the only one who had seen Mercury about to attack her, and Coco, swearing that she'd seen Yatsuhashi in the trees when he'd already been thrown out of bounds? That had been when she had been fighting Emerald, and Ruby remembered clearly seeing Emerald in the stands watching the fight where Pyrrha had... where Pyrrha had apparently gone berserk and torn Penny to pieces with her semblance.

Ruby knew Pyrrha better than that. Even before this timeline, she would never have believed that Pyrrha would be capable of that kind of violence. Not without a good reason. Just like Yang wouldn't have attacked an already defeated opponent. Pyrrha must have saw something that caused her to overreact like that. Something no one else saw. A semblance that created an almost physical image that everyone could see was not the same as a semblance that created an image only one person could see. Semblances didn't work like that. It had to be Emerald who'd done that. Or at least, Ruby strongly suspected it was her.

"She's dangerous." Ruby muttered. "All of them are. Mercury too. He had to have thrown the fight against Yang if they planned on using that to make people angry. That means he's better than he let on in his fight with her." Her eyes widened. "And he fought Pyrrha as well! He was doing really well, then he just forfeited for no reason after missing once. He had to have thrown that fight on purpose too. Why? Maybe to figure out Pyrrha's semblance? He knew it. He taunted me about it. That a match-up between a metal girl and a polarity semblance could be bad. So Pyrrha's fighting Penny was something they planned."

She'd been talking very quietly to herself, but she still went completely silent as the Bullhead reached the Beacon docks and it's engine noise shut off. If anyone overheard her, they'd think she was crazy at best. Talking out-loud to herself was a bad habit to get into, especially if she was a time traveler trying to save the future. Only dumb movie protagonists made silly mistakes like that after all.

/-/

Ruby opened the door to her team's dorm room with a triumphant grin. "I've got a lead!" She announced proudly. She did, of course. The fact that she knew about the SDC shipment from her future knowledge and not because of her keen detective work was not something she was planning on sharing, but she DID have a lead.

"I told you." Blake said smugly to Yang and Pyrrha, who were looking slightly less than impressed in Ruby's direction. What was wrong?

"Ruby!" Yang yelled. "What were you thinking, going hunting for the White Fang all by yourself!"

Ruby blinked. "Um... how did you know I was doing that?"

Yang frowned. "That's not the point. You shouldn't be going after them by yourself! It's lucky Blake was there to watch your back!"

Ruby blinked again. "Blake was...?"

Blake flushed slightly. "I saw you at the docks. I knew you had to be there because of something to do with Roman Torchwick or the White Fang, and I was right, wasn't I?"

Ruby opened her mouth, then closed it. How much had Blake seen? Did she need to make up a different story?

Pyrrha smiled sadly. "We would have gladly accompanied you, Ruby. You know that, don't you? I can't stand the thought of you having to fight alone."

Yang frowned. "And how do you think I feel? I promised dad I'd look out for you. What would I have said to him if you'd gotten hurt fighting the White Fang by yourself. Or worse, killed?"

Ruby hung her head. She hadn't been in any danger, but the lie she'd planned to use was pretty much exactly what they were accusing her of, and she couldn't tell them they were wrong without ruining her plan. She had to accept what that meant.

"I... I'm sorry. But I wasn't going to fight anyone. I was just doing detective work." Ruby said defensively. "I've been watching the news, and there have been more and more dust shop robberies. The police are sure it's Roman Torchwick and the White Fang. And... and I figured out that the SDC would have to send a bunch more Dust to Vale to make up for all the Dust that was stolen, and I was right! The SDC is sending a big shipment on Sunday night! Roman Torchwick will try and steal that for sure, it's the largest single amount of Dust he could find."

Blake nodded. "I heard about that shipment as well, actually." She shrugged. "It's a good lead. It's probably our best chance of catching Torchwick in the act, and finding out what is going on with the White Fang at the same time."

"You still shouldn't have gone alone, Ruby." Yang scolded. "Even if you were just trying to pick up leads, you should always have someone at your back."

Pyrrha nodded. "That's what your partner is for, Ruby. Please... don't leave us behind when you're doing something dangerous. We're a team."

Ruby took a deep breath, then nodded. "Alright. And... I'm sorry. It was dumb to go alone. I promise I'll tell you guys about it the next time."

Yang glanced at Pyrrha, then at Blake. All three girls exchanged nods.

"Alright then. We're in." Yang said firmly. "The docks. Sunday night, right?"

Pyrrha spoke up. "Should we tell team Winter about this?"

Blake nodded. "We should. We told them we would."

Ruby smiled at them. "Thanks you guys."

Yang glared at her. "Oh, you're not out of the dog-house yet, Ruby Rose. You're going to make this up to us, you better believe it. When Blake told me what you were really up to, I thought I'd have a heart attack!"

Ruby glanced at Blake curiously, dying to know what exactly she'd seen. Ruby hadn't had any idea that Blake had been watching her. Not that it surprised her that Blake could be sneaky. She WAS her ninja cat girlfriend, after all.

"Where were you?" She broke down and asked. "I never saw you."

"On the rooftop behind you." Blake said smugly. "Nobody ever looks up."

Ruby blinked. "When I was on the docks?"

Blake nodded. "Yeah. And when I saw you go after that monkey faunus who'd stowed away on that ship, I knew why. You thought he was a member of the White Fang who was infiltrating Vale, right?"

Ruby blinked. "Er... right?" She winced. Blake thought Sun was a member of the White Fang, and it was her fault? What else could go wrong?

Blake shook her head. "Well, I saw where you were chasing him, and I cut him off. But if you'd really been on your own, he'd have gotten away for sure."

Ruby paled. "You caught him? What... what did you do with him...?"

Blake shook her head. "Turns out he wasn't a White Fang member, just a student from Haven academy here for the Vital Festival. He stowed away because he wanted to get here early, but while he may be a stowaway, he's not a terrorist."

Yang frowned. "Are you sure about that? If Ruby thought he was part of the White Fang...?" She turned to her sister. "Why did you think that guy was a member of the White Fang anyway, sis? Where have you been getting your information?"

Ruby paled, the story she'd prepared didn't cover any of this. "That part was just me following up on a rumor I heard..." She tried. "That the White Fang might be bringing in new recruits. But I'm sure that the info I got about the SDC shipment is solid."

Blake nodded. "Sun said the same thing. The dock workers on the ship he smuggled away on were talking about the SDC shipment as well. It sounds like a solid lead."

"Sun?" Ruby asked, pretending not to know the name.

"Sun Wukong." Blake explained. "2nd year student from Haven academy. His team are coming in next week, but he's here for the tournament all right. That guy couldn't lie convincingly to save his life. He was on the level."

Yang frowned. "Well, I guess we'll have to take your word on it Blake. But are you sure this isn't going to be a trap or something? Maybe Torchwick is having people spread this story around to try and divert attention from whatever he's really planning for Sunday night?"

Ruby shrugged. "Well... we could see if Weiss could find out for sure? I bet she could find out if there really is a shipment coming?"

Pyrrha wrinkled her nose thoughtfully. "It's worth a try. And even if it is a trap, I can't believe they'd be ready for two full teams of hunters."

Yang nodded slowly. "True. But let's talk to Weiss about checking on that shipment anyway. Better to know for sure."

/-/

Later that night, team WJNR came into the kitchen they shared with team RPBY looking understandably curious.

"You called us here, Ruby." Weiss stated firmly. "What's this about?"

Ruby nodded to Pyrrha, who moved over to the door, checked the hallway outside, and firmly closed the door behind team Winter.

Weiss's eyebrows rose into her hairline. "Something serious, I take it?"

Yang grinned. "We've got a lead."

Ruby frowned. "Hey! It was my lead!"

Yang threw a thumb at Blake. "Only Blake told us about it before you could, so technically it's her lead."

Blake shrugged. "It was Ruby's lead first. I just found out the same information from a different source."

Weiss blinked. "A lead? You mean about Roman Torchwick and the White Fang?"

Nora looked excited. "Oh! Are we going to kick some ass?"

Yang shrugged. "Could be. But I was hoping we could confirm our information to be sure." She turned to Weiss. "According to Ruby and Blake's sources, there is a big shipment of dust coming in from the SDC this Sunday night at the docks. If it's true, it's a surefire target for Torchwick if he's the one behind all these recent Dust store robberies."

Weiss looked thoughtful. "Father would have been sure to take advantage of the sudden shortage of Dust in Vale. A shipment would make sense at this time. I assume you want me to find out where the shipment is coming in?"

Yang shrugged again, grinning. "We already know when and where. I just want to be sure our contacts are on the level."

Weiss nodded slowly. "Very well. Give me what you have, and I'll check with the SDC tomorrow morning to confirm it."

Jack blinked, looking astonished. "We're... we're actually doing this? We're actually seriously considering staking out an SDC shipment in case terrorists try to steal it?"

Ruby nodded firmly. "We're doing it. Team RPBY is, anyway. You don't have to come if you don't want to."

Nora snorted derisively. "Are you kidding? Of course we're coming!"

Ren closed his eyes and sighed. "I suppose we are."

Weiss nodded firmly. "If your information checks out, it's my duty as the heiress of the SDC to do something about this. I must go."

Jack shook his head, a small wry grin forming on his face. "Well damn. I guess I'm in too. Nora would never let me live it down if I chickened out."

Nora chuckled at that, although she didn't deny it.

Ruby took a deep breath. "OK. If we're all doing this, I've got a plan. This is how it's going to go..."


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14

Blake lay quietly on top of a stack of shipping containers, peering over the side. A pair of blonds lay beside her on either side, both cocky and brash, both outgoing and athletic, both apparently possessing very impressive abs, and both slightly annoying at times. But right now, she was glad they were there.

"How long are we going to have to wait?" Yang muttered quietly. She was resting her face in her hands, sitting slightly farther upright than Blake, although she was still mostly paying attention.

To Blake's other side, Sun Wukong sat cross-legged, eating an apple. "I dunno. Still, I bet they come tonight. I mean, the shipment's been unloaded and everything, but the dock workers JUST left, and if it was me, I'd wait till those guys were long gone. So... any time now, I guess?"

Blake's nose wrinkled in annoyance. "It'll take as long as it takes, Yang." She said quietly. "Could you two try to stay down and keep quiet? We don't want to get spotted before they make their move."

"Assuming anyone shows up to try anything at all." Yang grumbled. "We've been here for hours..."

"Sun's right." Blake interrupted. "The dock workers just finished unloading the Dust shipment. If Torchwick knows the schedule, he won't move until after the dockworkers are long gone. He won't want witnesses."

Yang sighed. "Well, if he doesn't show up, I'm going to..." The noise of an incoming Bullhead interrupted Yang in mid sentence, and the three hunters in training watched the airship fly in almost directly over top of them, spotlights illuminating the open space in front of the SDC shipment.

"You were saying?" Blake said with a smirk. Her face fell again as she watched the airship skillfully land in the middle of the open space, it's docking ramp opening up and one by one, a half dozen White Fang soldiers march out. Yang's eyes twinkled. "Hah. Six guys? This is going to be a cakewalk."

Coming out of the airship last was the distinctive form of Roman Torchwick. "Hey!" He shouted, loud enough to be heard even over the idling airship engines. "What's the hold up?"

Blake's eyes flashed. "It is him. Ruby was right. The White Fang are working with a human criminal. Why?"

Yang put a hand on her shoulder. "We'll ask them after we kick their asses. Are you ready?"

Blake sighed then drew Gambol Shroud. "Let's do this." She leapt down from the stack of cargo containers they'd been hiding atop of, and started running silently forward, moving up to another group of cargo containers to use them for cover, she peeked around the corner to keep an eye on her targets. Yang and Sun joined her moments later, coming up behind the cat-faunus.

Blake put out an arm to keep them from rushing past her, then put a finger to her lips. She held up three fingers, then dropped one, then dropped another, then dropped the last finger as she went around the corner of the container they were hiding behind at a sprint, coming up behind Roman Torchwick and placing her blade at his throat before anyone could react.

"Nobody move!" Blake warned, grabbing one of Roman's arms as well and pulling it roughly behind his back.

"Whoa!" Roman said, looking startled. "Take it easy, little lady."

The half dozen White Fang Soldiers that had been with Roman all pointed their guns in her direction, but they paused when they got a good look at her. Blake's cat-ears twitched as she kept track of them, easily identifying her as a faunus, causing them to pause in consternation.

"Brothers of the White Fang!" She shouted into the confused silence. "Why are you doing this? Why are you working with this scum!?"

"Yeah." Yang's voice came from behind Blake and just to her right. "What's up with that?"

"Seems like a pretty bad way to promote Faunus equality." Sun commented idly from just behind Blake to her left. "Stealing Dust and working with Vale's most wanted and everything."

Roman snorted. "You kids are in WAY over your heads." He told them. "And you're behind the times, kitty cat. The White Fang and I are going in on a little business venture together... except..." he paused, as if waiting for the right moment. "I can't really call it LITTLE." Two more Bullheads flew in overhead, doors opening up and more White Fang soldiers tumbling out to land in the open space behind the first six. A full dozen more, tripling the numbers stacked against them.

As the full eighteen White Fang Soldiers gathered themselves, preparing to fight, Yang cocked back Ember Celica, and Sun brought out his own weapons as well, a pair of shotgun nun-chucks that he started to twirl menacingly.

The standoff was broken when Roman fired his cane into the ground, sending Blake flying. Yang shouted something incoherent and leapt at the criminal, while Sun whirled into combat against the closest knot of White Fang grunts.

He knocked over three of them in quick succession, but the rest of the large group of armed men backed quickly away, pointing guns at him, forming a large arc on one side of the open space so they could all open fire without endangering any of their group.

Sun just grinned at them. And for the White Fang, the world seemed to explode.

Grenades dropped into their midst, exploding and sending them flying. Then they were hit from both sides, a pair of young men racing around from behind cover to attack from either side. Ren swept in from the left, using palm strikes and leg sweeps to knock down or incapacitate individual soldiers, while Jack Spriggin crashed into them from the right with his staff at full extension, taking down two of the White Fang in a single rush, then twirling around to trip another two as they tried to react to his sudden attack.

Nora, the source of the grenades, leapt down from above as a few of the White Fang grunts she'd stunned with her grenades tried to rise. Magnhild hit the ground, crackling with electricity, and the shock-wave from her blow knocked them down once more.

Roman was holding his own against Yang, getting in a few hits as well, but in moments, Blake had joined her partner, and they started tag teaming him as if they'd been working together for years.

Roman started to look concerned. "You don't want this fight, kiddos..." He warned, trying to conceal his growing unease. "It's not going to end well for you."

"We'll take our chances!" Yang growled back, stalking forward and throwing a couple more shotgun enhanced punches his way.

"Don't say I didn't warn you." Roman countered, parrying the blows and barely dodging a swipe from Blake.

Another pair of Bullheads flew in, armed with Rotary cannons, they started to strafe the docks with a hail of bullets, but before they could land any hits on the hunters and huntresses, a huge beam of green light lanced out and cut them both in half, causing the airships to crash into the far side of the now pitched battlefield.

The three remaining Bullheads started coming back around to assist, but a sniper round struck one in one of it's engines, exploding into ice and instantly disabling that engine, causing the Bullhead to start tipping over. A second round hit a different Bullhead's port engine several seconds later, causing that Bullhead to start tipping over as well, both Bullheads spiraling toward the ground in uncontrolled descents.

The final Bullhead turned and started speeding off, an ice enhanced round missing its engine and simply coating its side in ice instead, the Bullhead rapidly pulled away, its pilot sliding it behind a nearby warehouse to break the sniper's line of sight as it flew swiftly out across the water, getting out of range before anyone else could get into position to intercept.

Between them, Sun, Ren, Nora and Jack were rapidly subduing the last of the White Fang Soldiers, and Roman Torchwick started to get increasingly desperate as Yang and Blake pressed him harder and harder. He managed to strike Yang several times with his cane, staggering her momentarily, but the blond brawler just seemed to get stronger after every hit.

Desperately, he started firing explosive rounds wildly into the ground around him, trying to drive Yang and Blake back long enough to escape. He knew he had only seconds before the White Fang were finished, and then it'd be his turn unless he got out of there and quick!

A round shield flew in from above and struck his cane out of his hands, then a red haired amazon crashed into him, feet first, driving him into the ground and shattering his Aura.

Pyrrha scooped up her shield and leapt away from Roman, her eyes scanning the surroundings even as Ruby chewed her out over the ear bud in her ear.

"Pyrrha! You're supposed to be watching for Roman's back up!" Ruby whined from her position on the top of the crane she and Weiss had been using as a sniper's nest. "Yang and Blake had Torchwick handled!"

"Sorry." Pyrrha responded quietly. "I just couldn't sit out the entire fight."

"Just... keep your eyes open." Ruby said with a sigh. "Let Yang and Blake handle Roman. I need you watching their back."

"Copy that." Pyrrha agreed softly, feeling both embarrassed at letting Ruby down and a little frustrated at what seemed to be Ruby's over-protectiveness. She moved away as Yang and Blake rushed in to grab the nearly unconscious Torchwick, and kept her head moving, scanning the dockyards for any other threats. She had to admit, Ruby's plan had worked perfectly. She didn't especially like having been held out of the fighting, even if Ruby's reasons for it made a certain amount of sense. Roman certainly COULD have had some hunter level reinforcements waiting to rescue him in case things went wrong, and she would probably be the best one of their number to engage such skilled fighters, but it looked like Ruby might have over-planned just a bit. Still... if her only complaint was that she herself did not see any real action, then it would be shameful indeed to complain about it. It rankled, but Pyrrha forced herself to let it go. She couldn't afford to let her ego rule her decisions, not if she wanted to be a true huntress. Ruby's plan had been all but perfect, and it would be churlish of her to complain when all her friends were safe and their mission obviously a success.

She shook her head in disbelief. Ruby had to be some sort of tactical genius to have predicted the fight so completely.

/-/

Almost a football field's length away from where the main fight had gone down, Ruby sighed and lowered Crescent Rose's sight away from her eye. "I think that's it. We should go down and join the others."

Weiss let her ice glyphs fade from where she'd been sustaining them in front of Ruby's sniper rifle and nodded. "The police and professor Ozpin are on their way." She said. "We should secure the prisoners and make sure no one is seriously injured." She looked at Ruby, looking impressed. "Your plan was excellent, Ruby. And I never would have thought of combining my glyphs with your sniper rifle like that. What did you call that technique?"

"Ice Flower." Ruby said with a small smile.

Weiss nodded slowly. "I like it. I can't help but be surprised that you came up with a combo attack for the two of us, however. We're not even on the same team."

Ruby shrugged. "Well, we're friends, and allies. And we did end up working together, right?"

Weiss smiled and nodded. "True, and it was a most effective technique." She looked thoughtful. "Perhaps I could try something similar with Nora's grenade launcher."

Ruby grinned. "That sounds pretty cool." She pointed down. "Well, let's get down there."

Weiss smiled and threw up a series of white glyphs heading down toward the docks, and gestured forward. "After you." Ruby smiled and leapt off the crane, jumping from glyph to glyph as if she'd been doing so forever. Weiss shook her head at the sight. "I can't understand how Ruby seems to understand my semblance almost as well as I do..." She muttered, moving to follow the petite reaper. "It's as if she's been fighting by my side for years."

Ruby leapt sideways and landed on top of a cargo container where Penny was standing. The orange haired android had retracted her swords back into her backpack and was simply scanning the skies carefully with her bright green eyes.

"I think we got them all." Ruby said with a grin.

Penny nodded thoughtfully. "Indeed. I do not detect any more unauthorized aircraft on approach, Ruby Rose."

Ruby smiled. "You were great, Penny. Thanks so much for your help today!"

Penny beamed back at her. "I was most pleased to be of assistance, Ruby Rose!"

Below, Ruby spotted the flashing lights of incoming police cruisers, and she sighed. "Time to go face the music, I guess."

Penny tilted her head to one side curiously. "Are we anticipating combat against an opponent with a musical semblance?"

Ruby giggled, her mood lightening slightly. "No Penny, it's an expression. It means we're going to get in trouble for this."

Penny blinked in confusion. "Why? Did we not just apprehend a large number of wanted terrorists and an infamous criminal?"

Ruby shrugged. "Yeah... but adults don't really like it when you do stuff like that."

Penny looked more confused. "They don't?"

Ruby shrugged again. "They think we shouldn't be doing dangerous stuff till we're older. And... official and stuff."

Penny nodded slowly. "Ah. I understand. Will we be court martialed for acting without authorization?"

Ruby blinked. "Well, we're not in the military... so no, probably not. They'll probably just scold us."

Penny nodded again. "I see. Well, I suppose it's time to... face the music then!"

Ruby grinned. "Yeah. Let's do that." She leapt down, Penny following closely behind her.

/-/

The police had rounded up the White Fang soldiers while the ten young hunters in training had waited for them to take their statements. Glynda Goodwitch had arrived in a Beacon Bullhead to take charge of them, promising the police detailed statements, while shooting annoyed glares at the teenagers. Roman had gone quietly, not that he'd been in much condition to struggle after the beating Yang, Blake and Pyrrha had given him.

A black car had driven up, and a serious looking man in a suit had flashed some identification at the police, and gestured for Penny to come with him. Unlike the previous timeline, however, Ruby had anticipated this.

She took both of Penny's hands in her own. "You keep in touch, OK, Penny? We're friends now, and I don't want to lose that."

Penny smiled and nodded. "I will, friend Ruby. I promise. But right now I have to go, OK?"

Ruby sighed and nodded. "Alright Penny. Call me when you can, OK?"

Penny nodded again. "I will, Ruby." She turned to go, the suited figure escorting her to the back seat of the dark sedan and then driving her away. Penny waved as the car drove away, and Ruby waved back.

Blake walked up beside Ruby, frowning slightly. "Where did you say you met that girl, Ruby?"

Ruby licked her lips as she turned to face her girlfriend. "I ran into her when I was chasing Sun, actually. She's really nice..."

Blake nodded slowly, watching the dark sedan drive away. "Yeah..." She said dubiously. "And she's really powerful."

Ruby shrugged. "Yeah, she's here for the Vital Festival. From Atlas." She added helpfully. "We got to know each other after Sun got away from me."

Blake raised an eyebrow. "And you got along so well after a single day that she agreed to help you fight terrorists?"

Ruby shrugged helplessly. "Er... yeah?"

Blake sighed, shaking her head. "You have the strangest ability to make friends, Ruby." She smiled lightly, softening her words. "Not that I'm complaining."

Ruby raised an eyebrow, nodding at Sun, who was grinning and talking to a bemused looking female police officer, gesturing as if he was describing the fight. "You seem to have managed to make a new friend pretty quickly as well, Blake."

Blake glanced back at Sun, then sighed. "He just kind of followed me..." She tried to explain.

Ruby laughed softly. "Is he a pet?"

Blake rolled her eyes. "No. And I DON'T want to keep him."

Ruby smiled warmly at her. "Good. I might have been getting a little jealous."

Blake snorted. "I might have gotten a little jealous myself."

Ruby stepped into Blake and hugged her. "We can make other friends, Blake. It doesn't mean we're not still together."

Blake nodded and hugged her back. "You're right. I guess we're being stupid."

Ruby shook her head into Blake's chest. "No. This is still new... and I guess it's normal to get a little jealous sometimes. But I trust you. I may get a little jealous, but I won't get mad at you about it."

Blake took a deep breath and put her chin on top of Ruby's head. "Yeah." She hugged Ruby a little tighter. "Of course." She nodded softly. "I'll do the same. We have to trust each other, right?"

Ruby pulled away far enough so that she could look up into Blake's eyes. "I do trust you, Blake. And I hope you'll continue to trust me?"

Blake nodded. "You're worth it."

/-/

"And here we are again, Miss Rose." Ozpin walked up to the chair opposite of the table where Ruby was sitting, and took a seat himself. "It seems to becoming something of a habit."

Ruby flushed slightly. "Er... I guess?"

Ozpin chuckled. "Yes, quite the coincidence, is it not, that twice now you have thwarted Mister Roman Torchwick in the middle of a robbery, and managed to capture him."

Ruby decided to go with what had been working for her so far, a partial truth. "The first time was a coincidence." She said briefly.

"And not the second?" Ozpin asked, sounding as if he knew the answer already.

Ruby sighed. "No. No, I knew he'd be there tonight."

Ozpin raised an eyebrow. "And how is it that you knew exactly where a master criminal and a terrorist organization would be tonight, Miss Rose?"

Ruby shrugged. "I did my homework. I asked questions. I knew that Torchwick had been robbing every Dust Shop in Vale, and I found out that the SDC was bringing in a huge shipment tonight. I knew he'd try to steal it. It was too good of a target."

Ozpin smiled. "You did do this properly then. Impressive." He did his best to give her a stern look. "Now... what made you think that it was your responsibility to deal with this situation? Dealing with criminals and terrorists is a job for the police, and for professional huntsmen."

Ruby shrugged. "But no one else WAS dealing with it, were they? Roman Torchwick had been out there robbing people for months, and nobody has stopped him, except for me. And then he escapes and starts robbing people again, and again, months pass, and nobody manages to do anything."

Ozpin nodded. "So you took it upon yourself."

Ruby threw up her hands. "Yes! OK, Yes I did!" She shrugged helplessly. "And I don't regret doing it. Somebody had to stop him."

"And stop him you did." Ozpin agreed. "Two full teams, plus a pair of students from Mistral and Atlas, here for the Vital Festival. You formed quite the formidable force."

Ruby tilted her head. "I wasn't going to take any chances. Not with my team, or team WJNR, or anyone. We weren't in any real danger."

Ozpin raised an eyebrow. "Are you so sure of that? There are forces in this world... dangerous ones, the likes of which I daresay you cannot imagine."

Ruby wrinkled her nose at him. "I can imagine a lot." She sunk into her seat. "I know that there are things out there that can kill hunters and huntresses. I know that better than most people."

Ozpin sighed. "Yes. Yes you do. And I cannot fault your tactics. Your plan was flawless. Impressively so. Where did you learn such in depth tactical planning?"

Ruby shrugged. "I read a lot."

Ozpin raised an eyebrow. "I see. Well, I am impressed. Still, Miss Rose, I may be your headmaster, but I am also a Huntsman, and I am sworn to protect this world against those who would conspire against it. In the future, should you discover a situation such as the one you found tonight, I hope you would come to me beforehand, rather than after the shooting starts."

Ruby grinned slightly. "Well, technically we DID contact you before we started shooting."

Ozpin chuckled. "Perhaps a little more warning the next time then? Just in case the next time you aren't quite so thoroughly prepared? Or in case you run into someone or something you can't handle?"

"The next time I find out about something like this, I'll let you know right away, Professor." Ruby lied.

Ozpin nodded. "That is all I can ask for." He smiled at her in amusement. "As I imagine that if I told you and your teams not to ever get involved in such things again, you'd somehow manage to do so regardless."

Ruby shrugged sheepishly.

Ozpin rose to his feet. "Well... if you ever need to talk to me, Miss Rose. Please don't hesitate."

/-/

As Ruby walked back to her team's dorm, she fretted. Where had that ice-cream girl been? She had seemed to act almost like Roman's body-guard during their encounters with her, so where was she while Roman was getting captured? Perhaps Roman hadn't hired her yet? She hadn't been at Dust till Dawn either. Maybe Roman didn't think he needed her until after he'd been thwarted at the docks the last time and he'd recruited the short ice-cream themed girl after that? Ruby sighed and tried not to worry. Surely the police would be much more careful about keeping Roman captured this time, seeing as he'd escaped so quickly the last time.

Unfortunately, Ruby wasn't at all confident about that. The police weren't hunters. Most of them didn't have aura, and few police had as much training or skill as your average hunter. And if Torchwick was working for people that could scare even him... people like Cinder Fall, then the police wouldn't be able to hold him forever. But there wasn't really anything else she could have done, could she?

Ruby sighed. At least they'd gotten him off the street for awhile, and captured more than twenty members of the White Fang as well, if the pilots of the various Bullheads they'd shot down could be counted as part of the total, anyway. That had to have helped, right?

/-/

Ozpin was just sitting down in his own office when Glynda Goodwitch came storming in. "Ozpin, have you heard the news?"

The headmaster of Beacon academy sighed. "If you are speaking about Torchwick's escape, yes. I got the report myself just a few minutes ago. The squad car that was supposed to be bringing him in for questioning never arrived. One of the officers who was supposed to be driving was found unconscious at the docks, but by the time she was found, it was too late."

Glynda shook her head. "He had an accomplice concealed nearby, just in case his operation was compromised." She surmised. "What I can't understand is how Miss Rose knew about it."

Ozpin looked surprised. "Ruby Rose knew?"

Glynda frowned and shook her head. "Well, not precisely, but according to Miss Nikos' statement, Ruby had her stay hidden during the fight so that she could counter any hidden... huntsmen level allies that Roman might have had available. She correctly anticipated Roman having an accomplice hidden nearby. Unfortunately, whomever it was, was cunning enough to wait until there were only police to deal with before making their move."

Ozpin nodded thoughtfully. "Miss Rose continues to impress me. You would never think she was only fifteen years old. She acts as if she has years of experience."

Glynda nodded. "Her combat skills are remarkable for one so young. And her tactical abilities are astounding. It's almost as if she knows exactly what's going to happen before it does."

Ozpin nodded again. "While Miss Rose's abilities are indeed most impressive, we mustn't forget that she is still a child. One that should not be burdened with the responsibilities she seems to have taken upon herself."

Glynda sighed. "When she discovers that Roman Torchwick has escaped police custody again, she will be more determined than ever."

Ozpin nodded slowly. "Yes. So for the moment, perhaps it is better if she does not discover it. I have already instructed the police to keep Torchwick's escape from the media... as well as the entire incident at the docks, for that matter. In the meantime, I think it's time we called for some more... specialized assistance."

He brought up his scroll, opened his email and started composing a message.

Glynda sighed in resignation. "Qrow?"

Ozpin nodded. "I'm sure he'll be especially interested in learning what his nieces have been up to. And his skill set is particularly suited to this sort of task."

Glynda shook her head. "So long as he's not drunk, at least."

/-/

Roman sighed in relief as Neo finished picking the lock to the massive handcuffs that the police had shackled him with. They were in a dark warehouse, the police car Neo has stolen sitting quietly behind them.

"That was ridiculous." Roman complained. "What was that, two full teams of hunters? I know I recognized at least one of them. Nikos... that championship fighter from Mystral. If she hadn't jumped in at the last second, I could have gotten out of there easy."

Neo rolled her eyes doubtfully. She pulled up her scroll and typed in a text, then showed the screen to her boss. **Ten, not eight. And guess who I spotted.**

Roman blinked, and Neo opened her photo app and showed him a recent picture of a certain young reaper taken from the side. "Little Red, huh? I wondered why those baby hunters would be so keen on grabbing me. I guess she didn't like it when she heard I escaped after she caught me the first time." He chuckled. "She'll probably be clawing the walls when she hears that I got away again." His smile faded slightly. "But how did she know where I'd be?" Neo shrugged noncommittally and Roman's frown deepened. "We HAVE been having a bit of a... employee retention problem recently, now that I think about it." He turned to face Neo and looked solemn. "I think it's about time we fixed that particular leak."

"Agreed." Cinder Fall's voice came from out of the darkness, and she, Emerald and Mercury walked up toward Roman and Neo. Cinder in particular was looking more than a little annoyed. "I hear that your most recent excursion met with... disappointing results."

Roman growled at her. "Hey! There were... what, ten baby hunters there! How was I supposed to be able to deal with that many wanna-be heroes at once? I can't work miracles."

Cinder sniffed disdainfully. "The fact that that many... students were able to become aware of your little raid tells me that you have a rat in your organization."

Roman humphed. "More like a rat-faunus. You're the one who insisted I work with those idiotic terrorists."

Cinder raised an eyebrow. "And you will continue to do so." She insisted. "Find the traitor, and deal with them. And quickly. Things are rapidly moving forward, and we can't afford any more setbacks."

Roman gave a sound of acknowledgement. "I'll get it done. Anything else I should know about?"

Cinder gave him a harsh look. "You'll know what I need you to know. It's obvious that information isn't the most secure around you at the moment. Deal with that, and then we can talk about further plans."

/-/

When Ruby got back to her team's dorm, Pyrrha, Yang and Blake were all waiting anxiously for her. "How'd it go, sis?" Yang asked cautiously.

Ruby shrugged. "We're not in any trouble. I did kind of promise that I'd let him know ahead of time the next time we find out about something like this..."

Yang raised an eyebrow. "Yeah... right."

Ruby giggled. "OK, maybe I wasn't the MOST sincere when I said that."

Pyrrha snickered and shook her head knowingly. "I think we know better by now."

Blake looked almost cheerful. "Still, we did it, right? We caught Torchwick, and captured most of the White Fang that were working with him. Whatever they were up to in Vale, we stopped it, right?"

Ruby's face fell. "Well... for now. But somehow I don't think the police will be able to hold onto Torchwick for too long."

Yang waved off her concerns dismissively. "Don't worry about it so much, little sis. If he breaks out, we'll just bust him again. We kicked ass out there tonight!"

Pyrrha nodded with a smile. "Your plan was excellent, Ruby. Although with ten hunters in training, I think we would have managed regardless. Still, thanks to your foresight, the battle went our way from start to finish. I think you were wise to plan for all contingencies." Her smile was genuine, but there was a little bit of regret in her eyes.

Yang threw an arm around her waist and pulled Pyrrha in for a kiss. "Hey babe. I know you wanted to be in the thick of things with the rest of us, but you can't believe how safe I felt knowing you were watching my back. I could throw everything I had at Torchwick, because I knew that nobody would be able to catch me by surprise with you watching out for me."

Blake nodded. "Don't feel like you didn't contribute, Pyrrha. Yang's right. Even a small distraction in a fight against as experienced a foe as Torchwick could have been dangerous. With you on guard, we could focus fully on our objective. And if Torchwick did have some serious backup, there's nobody else who'd have been better suited to deal with things. Ruby picked you for that job because you're the strongest of us, you know that."

Ruby nodded immediately. "Exactly, Pyrrha! I'm sorry I held you back tonight, though."

Pyrrha sighed. "I do understand your logic, Ruby. And I certainly cannot argue your tactics. Still, I hope you would not always wish to leave me in reserve?"

Ruby shook her head. "Of course not Pyrrha. Actually, in most situations, I'd probably have you act as our tank."

Pyrrha blinked. "Tank? I'm not sure I understand."

Ruby blinked, then tried to explain. "Yeah! I mean, you're the tank, Yang's the dps, Blake's our skirmisher..."

Pyrrha blinked again. "DPS...?"

Yang laughed. "Ruby, I don't think Pyrrha is quite as familiar with gaming terms as we are." She turned to her girlfriend to explain. "In a game, the tank is the character who attracts the enemy attention and becomes the focus of the fight. Ruby's right, you'd be good at it. You may not be able to soak up as much damage as me, but you also almost never take a solid hit. So Ruby's saying most of the time you'd be front and center, keeping the enemy busy long enough for me to wind up for some big hits, and so Blake can flank them. Get it?"

Pyrrha nodded in understanding. "Ah yes. That makes more sense." She looked at Ruby curiously. "And what is your roll in this scenario, Ruby?"

Ruby shrugged. "I'd be support. You know, watch the whole fight, help whoever needs it. Between Crescent Rose's range and my speed, I can be anywhere I need to be faster than anyone else. I'm the best at range as well."

Yang shrugged. "She's not wrong."

Pyrrha nodded. "She's certainly not. An elegant strategy, Ruby. Was there a reason you didn't employ that tactic tonight?"

Ruby nodded. "Well, like I said, Roman could have hired some professional help. Like... ex-hunters or something. If he was smart, he'd have them hiding out, ready to jump in just in case someone like me or Miss Goodwitch showed up again. Just in case. Especially on a big robbery like the one tonight. And normally taking care of enemy reinforcements would be my job... but I was on sniper duty tonight. I figured Torchwick would come in with Bullheads. He's used them before, and with the huge amount of Dust in that shipment, he almost had to bring more than one, especially if he's joined forces with the White Fang, so I put everyone with a decent long range attack on sniper duty with me. If we'd left the Bullheads alone, things would have gotten a LOT more dangerous. And Torchwick probably would have been able to escape."

Yang whistled. "I'm still amazed you planned for all of that, Rubes. You really must have been thinking about this a lot!"

Blake spoke up. "That combo attack you did with Weiss was extremely impressive. Those Bullheads should have been able to take quite a few rounds even from your sniper rifle, but combined with Weiss's ice glyphs, you took each of them down with a single shot."

"As long as I could hit the engines, anyway." Ruby agreed. "Bullheads don't fly very well when their engines are full of ice after all."

"No, no they do not." Yang agreed with a grin. "And what about that Penny girl? Did you see that enormous laser she fired? What on Remnant was that anyway? I don't remember ever seeing such a powerful semblance before."

Blake frowned. "I have. My old partner, Adam, could do something similar with his semblance, although he needed to absorb quite a bit of damage with his sword first. Still, I've seen comparable abilities. Nevertheless, Penny certainly was impressive. How did you know she had such a powerful ranged semblance, Ruby?"

Ruby chuckled nervously. "Well... I asked her, actually. I asked both her and Sun if they were any good at long range, and she said she was, so I put her on the sniper team with me. That's all. I had no idea her semblance was so powerful though!" Ruby giggled nervously, hoping no one would pick up on the lie.

Yang frowned at her, making Ruby sweat more, but didn't call her on it.

Pyrrha looked curious. "Where did she go afterwards, anyway? She was there till the police arrived, but by the time Professor Goodwitch showed up, she was gone."

Ruby hesitated before answering. "I think her father is someone pretty high up in the Atlas military." She explained, partially truthfully. "Someone in a suit and sunglasses showed up in a black car and drove her away. She promised to keep in touch though."

Blake's cat ears twitched. "Oh?"

Ruby glanced at her girlfriend a bit nervously. "She seems really sheltered... and I don't think she has very many friends. I promised we'd keep in touch."

Blake closed her eyes, sighed, then nodded. When she opened her eyes again, she was calm, and she smiled genuinely at Ruby. "You've got a good heart, Ruby. That's part of what I love about you so much."

Ruby blushed crimson, but smiled back. "I love you too, Blake."

Yang rolled her eyes. "This is going to be every day now, isn't it. All sappy with hearts and flowers..."

Pyrrha grinned at her busty blond girlfriend and winked. "I love you too, Yang."

Yang gave a theatrical sigh. "Yup. This is my life now." She leaned into Pyrrha's side though, and she was grinning.

/-/

"Winter!" Weiss beamed at the image of her older sister on her scroll, more than a little pleased to see her. "It's good to see you!"

"You as well, sister." Winter said calmly. "Although I would, perhaps, prefer to be calling you under better circumstances."

Weiss winced. "If this is about my actions on the docks..."

Winter sighed lightly. "It is. Although I cannot fault your motivations, nor the eventual results, I would have preferred it if you'd come to me, or perhaps one of your professors, rather than seeking to thwart a robbery on your own."

Weiss stiffened. "I was hardly on my own, sister. I had my team, and team RPBY, as well as two exchange students here for the festival with me. We took no chances."

Winter nodded stiffly. "I've seen the report. Your tactics were... impressive."

Weiss hesitated, then told the truth. "In fact, the plan was something my fellow team leader came up with. Ruby Rose. I believe I've mentioned her?"

Winter raised an eyebrow. "I see. The young prodigy?"

Weiss nodded once. "Ruby is... remarkably gifted for one so young." She admitted with only a small amount of reluctance. "I am glad to have her as one of my friends here at Beacon."

"I am pleased to hear you are making friends." Winter said, then smiled slightly, causing Weiss's eyes to widen momentarily in shock. Such an expression coming from her older sister was the equivalent of someone like Yang dancing and shouting from the rooftops. Both Weiss and Winter schooled their expressions after a moment, but that moment had happened, and they both knew it. Weiss felt an unusual warmth flood through her, but this time kept her expression calm.

"There was something odd..." Weiss said carefully. "Before the fight, Ruby talked me through a combination attack. She had me use my glyphs to infuse Ice Dust into her sniper ammunition as she fired. It was... surprisingly effective. We brought down two Bullheads in as many seconds, and we'd have grounded a third if it hadn't swiftly turned and fled. I wasn't even aware my semblance could be used like that, but she seemed to know exactly how it would work. I know our family semblance isn't a secret, but..."

Winter frowned. "Interesting. I believe I understand how it was done, but still, I'm surprised this Ruby Rose was able to come up with such an attack." She looked thoughtful. "Did you share the details of how the Schnee semblance works with her before this?"

Weiss nodded slowly. "To a certain extent. Our two teams often train together, and semblance training and combination attacks is something we've recently started incorporating. Still, Ruby and I have never worked on such combinations together." She frowned. "She's come up with quite a few different combination attacks for both teams, actually. She seems to have a knack for it."

Winter nodded. "A natural tactician, I suppose. An impressive ally to have made, Weiss. You've made good choices in your friends at Beacon, I believe."

Weiss couldn't help but beam again at the praise. "Thank you Winter! That means a lot to me!"

Winter gave her a small, but warm smile back. "I am proud of you, little sister, although I do hope that in the future you will try to leave the crime fighting to the professionals."

Weiss schooled her expression once more and gave Winter her most serious face. "In the not too distant future, I will be one of those professionals, sister." She nodded once. "But I promise to be careful."

Winter snorted, but didn't otherwise object. "Speaking of your semblance..." She began, changing the subject. "How has your summoning been coming along?"

Weiss's face fell. "Well..."

/-/

School was officially out for the next two weeks. The girls had discussed plans for what they'd do. Ruby wanted to visit Menagerie and see Blake's parents. Pyrrha halfheartedly suggested going to Argus, to visit her own family. But both Menagerie and Argus were, realistically, too far to go within a two week break.

"So... Patch?" Yang suggested. "Dad would be thrilled."

Pyrrha nodded with a small smile. "That does sound lovely."

Blake wrinkled her nose. "Are you sure it'll be OK?"

Ruby smiled at her girlfriend reassuringly. "Dad will love you, Blake. And Patch is great. It's really relaxed there. I mean, except for the Grimm, but it's not like any of us have anything to worry about the Grimm anymore."

Yang shrugged. "Well, not the ones we get on Patch, anyway. Beowolves and Ursa. No big deal."

Blake sighed, then nodded. "Alright then. Patch. You're sure your father won't mind putting us up for two weeks?"

Ruby smiled and shook her head. "He's going to be really happy. You'll see."

/-/

"What did dad mean, it'll be a little crowded for a day or two?" Yang said with a frown as they were getting off the airship in Patch. "We've got plenty of room at home, don't we?"

Ruby shook her head. "I don't know sis... but it could be..."

"Hey girls!" Taiyang Xaio-Long shouted cheerfully as he approached team RPBY. "Over here!"

"Hello Mister Xaio-Long." Pyrrha said with a genuine smile.

"Now Pyrrha. You know better than that." Tai teased lightly.

"Of course." Pyrrha agreed, smiling brighter. "Tai. It's good to see you again."

"Likewise." Tai nodded back, then turned to Blake. "And Blake Belladonna. I've heard a lot of about you!"

Blake smiled hesitantly. "Good things, I hope?"

Tai grinned. "Good things. Come on. Let me take some of your luggage..."

Taiyang kept the conversation going with questions about their training at school all the way back to the Xaio-Long house, but as the log cabin came into view, Yang broke in with a question of her own.

"OK dad, why so mysterious? What's going on? Why is it going to be crowded at the house?" Yang asked with sincere curiosity. "Did you put a hole in one of the walls or something?"

Taiyang laughed. "That's more Ruby's thing, isn't it?"

Ruby pouted. "Dad! That only happened once!"

The door to the cabin opened as they approached, and a thin looking man with glasses and raccoon ears on top of his head peered out. "Mister Xaio-Long, are these your daughters, then?"

Tai smiled and stepped forward to introduce the man. "Yup, and their partners at Beacon Academy." He gestured to them one at a time. "My daughters, Ruby, and Yang. And this is Pyrrha Nikos and Blake..."

"Blake Belladonna?" A woman's voice came from inside the house and a second racoon faunus stepped outside, her face lighting up in a huge smile. "Lady Belladonna!" She cried as she got a good look. "It's an honor!"

Blake colored slightly. "Bonny! You don't have to call me that!"

Bonny smiled softly. "So modest. You remind me so much of your father." Bonny stepped further out into the light, and it quickly became obvious that she was heavily pregnant. "Your family has done so much for us. Even now, arranging to sneak us out of Vale so we can go home. I can't thank you enough, my lady."

Blake looked in astonishment at Bonny's stomach. "Wow... I um... I didn't know you were..."

Bonny nodded. "I wasn't showing when you left. Not that I blamed you at all for leaving, dear. Adam has been growing... darker and more callous for months now. We would have left sooner ourselves, only... we weren't sure how we'd be received, or where we could really go." She smiled, then turned to the skinny, somewhat scholarly looking racoon eared man. "Devlin. Why don't you help the girls with their bags, dear?"

Blake looked from one to the other. "You two are together now?"

Bonny smiled. "For quite some time, actually, although we didn't advertise it. The mood in... in the camp was not very accommodating towards... fraternization."

Yang grinned at the now sheepish looking man and punched him lightly in the shoulder. "Congratulations, man."

Devlin winced, but smiled shyly at Yang. "Thank you miss."

Ruby zipped up to Bonny, a giddy expression on her face. "Ooh! How soon are you due? Do you know what the baby is going to be? Is it twins? I bet it's twins..."

Bonny took the hyper reaper's attentions in stride. "Two more months, dear, and I wouldn't be surprised if it was triplets, with how heavy I'm starting to feel."

Pyrrha stepped in behind Ruby, partially to help restrain her team leader if she got too excited, partially out of her own genuine curiosity. "So Mister Xaio-Long is helping you get back to Menagerie?"

Bonny nodded, smiling. "Such a sweet man." She turned to Ruby, patting her head. "I hear we have you to thank for all of this as well, my dear."

Ruby blushed. "Oh... it wasn't me. I just... knew who to call."

Bonny giggled. "You certainly did." She sighed and patted her own stomach. "My family will be safe now. The White Fang was getting more and more extreme. I know I should have gotten out years ago... but..." She shook her head. "I was frightened. I wasn't a fighter, and I was so far from home. And I knew that if I tried to leave, even if one of Adam's enforcers didn't hunt me down, I'd have nowhere to go. Jail, or worse, if anyone found out..." She sighed. "I don't deserve this chance, but... for my children, whoever they will be, I had to take it."

Pyrrha smiled gently at her. "You're doing the right thing. For yourself, and for your family. That's admirable."

Bonny sighed. "I hope so." She brightened. "Mister Xaio-Long says there's a ship leaving for Menagerie sometime tomorrow. He's been so kind."

Ruby smiled at her. "Dad's great."

Devlin had been watching Ruby and Pyrrha with his wife, and sighed deeply. "It's hard to believe, but... we're going to make it." He turned to Blake. "When I heard about you running, I thought, we should go as well. But... it wasn't until we realized that Bonnie was... expecting that we made up our minds that we had to go. We heard about Tuckson, and he sent us here. Tai's been a rock. I was so worried, but he makes me feel like we're going to make it."

Blake put a hand on his shoulder. "You will, Devlin. I'll come with you to the ship myself. Just to be sure."

Devlin smiled at her. "Thank you Blake." He sighed. "I wish we'd talked years ago. I could tell you weren't happy about the way things were going. Neither was I. But... you were with Adam, and everyone was terrified of Adam."

Blake sighed. "I'm sorry about that. I should have stood up to him. I should have done more... instead I just... I just ran."

Devlin shook his head. "No. Nobody expected you to go up against Adam. I wouldn't ask that of my worst enemy. But you running when you did helped inspire me... and more than just me. Lots of people are second guessing things since you left. You were a symbol to a lot of people, you know? It was like, if even one of the Belladonna's are on our side, we must be doing something right."

Blake winced. "No... I... I'm not worth that."

Devlin wrinkled his nose. "Maybe it wasn't fair. You were just a kid. You still are, really. But you were always strong, Blake. You took risks so the rest of us didn't have to. You protected everyone you could. You thought you were doing the right thing, and when that changed, you walked away." He looked her over. "You're training to be a huntress, right? At Beacon?"

Blake blinked. "How did you...?"

Devlin glanced at Tai. "Mister Xaio-Long likes to talk about his girls and the great team they're on. And I think it's great. Being a huntress... well, I'll never be that strong, but... it's something to be proud of. I bet your folks are thrilled!"

Blake blushed. "They... they said they were proud of me. Deciding to become a huntress, to protect people. It was the best decision I've ever made, I think."

Devlin smiled. "I think it suits you. You look happy."

Blake looked surprised. "I do?"

Devlin nodded. "You do. You never did while you were with the Fang. You were angry sometimes. Frustrated. Scared. But happy? No. Not that I ever saw."

Blake sighed. "You're not wrong. For awhile I thought I was... if not happy, at least satisfied that I was doing something, but... no. I wasn't happy."

Devlin smiled. "I'm glad to see that's changed."

Blake glanced toward Ruby, who was chatting animatedly with Bonny still. "Yeah. Me too."

/-/

The girls all camped out in Yang's bedroom that night, Ruby's room having gone to Bonny and Devlin. Nobody made much of the fact that there were only two beds, and the fact that Blake and Ruby would share one while Pyrrha and Yang shared the other wasn't even worth discussing. Everyone said goodnight, and snuggled in with their respective partner contentedly.

The next morning, after breakfast, everyone trooped down to the docks as a group to see Bonny and Devlin to their ship. The two racoon faunus exchanged hugs with Tai, Blake and even Ruby, and smiles and waves for Pyrrha and Yang, and before long, they headed up the ramp into the large cargo ship.

"It's pulling out in a few hours." Tai explained. "It should reach Menagerie in a couple weeks. They're paid up for the whole trip though, courtesy of Chief Belladonna."

"I really can't thank you enough for doing all of this, Mister Xaio-Long." Blake said earnestly.

"Call me Tai." The man insisted with a smile. "Everybody else does."

"Even Pyrrha." Ruby teased. "Although it took her a couple days to get used to it."

Pyrrha blushed lightly, then smiled. "You made me feel at home... Tai. It's a good feeling." She glanced sidelong at the handsome, muscular older man.

Tai glanced back, looking between Pyrrha and Yang, who had an arm wrapped around Pyrrha's waist. "So... you and Yang?"

Pyrrha nodded slowly. "That is the way we ended up deciding to go, yes. I hope... that's not a problem?"

Tai shook his head. "If my girls are happy, so am I." He glanced at Ruby and Blake, similarly close, and smiled. "And they do seem pretty happy." He looked curious. "How long have you all been...?" He asked curiously, not seeming to be sure how to finish phrasing the question.

"We've been... going steady for about two months now, Dad." Yang told him. "Been pretty good so far."

Pyrrha smiled honestly. "It's been lovely. I can't remember the last time I was this happy." She blushed at her own words, then leaned her head against Yang's, looking a little shy.

Yang hugged her tighter. "I know exactly what you mean, babe. I'm really glad we decided to do this."

Tai took a deep breath and sighed. "I'm really happy for you, kiddo. You deserve some real happiness in your life."

Yang smiled at her father. "I'm certainly not complaining. I mean, have you SEEN my girlfriend?"

Tai laughed. "She's a looker, alright." He agreed. "You two look good together."

"We're every guy's dream... and nightmare." Yang said evilly. "You should see the looks on people's faces when we go dancing... all the guys are jealous, not to mention half the girls."

Pyrrha raised an eyebrow. "Not half, certainly."

Yang shrugged. "Hey, what can I say, babe? The two of us combined can make the most guy crazy girl question her sexuality."

Pyrrha blushed and turned away slightly. "Yang..." she complained, although under the censure in her voice was a small note of pleasure.

Tai rolled his eyes. "Too much information, Yang... seriously. I'm pretty sure I don't want to know about all the hearts you're breaking."

Yang grinned. "It's a lot of hearts."

Tai just groaned theatrically, but he was grinning despite himself.

/-/

Ruby and Blake moved into Ruby's room that night. Tai didn't mention it, and neither did they. On the third night of their stay however, after they'd finished dinner, Ruby, blushing brightly, turned to her father, who was just about to start grabbing dishes.

"Um... dad?" She said, straining not to melt into her shoes from the obvious embarrassment she was feeling.

"Yes Ruby?" Tai answered, looking at her curiously, his eyebrows raising into his hairline at the blush she was wearing.

"Um... could you... um... stay away from my bedroom tonight?" Ruby asked, her voice cracking.

Tai blinked. "Er..." He blinked again. "Um..." He shook his head as if to clear it. "Right. Sure. I... I think I'll go to bed early, actually. Been a long day."

Pyrrha jumped up. "Yang and I will handle the dishes, Mister... Tai."

Yang raised an eyebrow, then sighed theatrically. "Yeah, sure. We'll handle the dishes dad. You take it easy."

Tai nodded mechanically, then turned to go, but Yang started to grin and stopped him. "Hey dad?"

Tai turned back to her with a confused expression which turned to mild dismay as she grinned at him. "Try and steer clear of my and Pyrrha's room as well, K?" She grinned. "You know, so you can maintain the illusion that your little girls aren't..."

Tai raised his hands in surrender. "On second thought I think I'll head to Micky's bar." He said, stomping theatrically toward the door. I'll be home late. Don't wait up." Tai waved over his shoulder as he stomped his way out of the back door, taking only a moment to grab his wallet and scroll as he left.

Pyrrha was blushing crimson. "Yang!"

Yang looked her in the eyes, her face now serious. "Sorry..." She said softly. "Too much?"

Pyrrha hesitated, then sighed, moving in to give Yang a hug. "No. No." She shook her head. "It's OK."

Blake licked her lips, glancing at Ruby, who was still frozen, still blushing, and seemed like she didn't know what to do next. "So... want to head up to your room, Ruby?"

Ruby nodded softly, and let Blake gently lead her from the kitchen by the hand.

Yang sighed. "They grow up so fast."

Pyrrha glanced at Yang with a sly smile. "So... are you going to let your sister seduce her girlfriend before you manage it?"

Yang chuckled. "Is this a race?"

Pyrrha giggled. "Did you want it to be?"

Yang laughed and got into a pouncing stance. "I'm thinking that if I manage to catch you before we reach the bedroom, we're not going to make it to the bedroom..."

Pyrrha looked confused, then horrified, then she shrieked and ran. Yang whooped and lit after her. Pyrrha's giggles echoed into the empty kitchen. Outside, Tai, who'd lingered by the door after theatrically stomping outside, could hear Pyrrha's giggles and the sound of running feat going rapidly upstairs, then Ruby's yelp of surprise, presumably as Pyrrha and Yang rushed past her.

He shook his head and smiled, and headed on down the road, whistling.

/-/

Hours later, Pyrrha sat up with a gasp, clasping the bedsheets to her front.

Yang looked over at her girlfriend in concern. "What? What's wrong, Pyrrha?"

Pyrrha looked upset. "We forgot to do the dishes!"

Yang hit her with a pillow.

* * *

**Author's Notes:**

**If anyone is confused why Ruby is suddenly a tactical genius when she wasn't anywhere near that good in the show, I'd like to say that she actually hasn't improved anywhere near that much. It's just that she's been there for this fight before. She knew how Roman would arrive, how he'd have Bullheads coming in as backup, and even approximately how many White Fang troops she should expect. Also, she had ten hunters-in-training going up against barely double that number of foot soldiers. It's easy to look like a genius when you have seen it before and have overwhelming amounts of firepower. It's like she went back to a save game, then typed in a cheat code to give her double the number of allies to replay a battle she'd already won, wanting to do it better. Hardly fair.**

**Not that Ruby has ANY intention of playing fair this time through.**

**She's also gaining more an more attention by her actions and 'foresight'. Both Ozpin and Cinder are coming aware of her presence on the board, and are altering their plans in response.**

**And here, actually, I have come up with a bit of a stumper.**

**At this point, the way Ruby has been impressing Ozpin, and how she's shown that she'll throw herself into danger for a greater good over and over, Ozpin's choice of a Fall Maiden is, I would think, no longer quite so cut and dried.**

**Ruby is, at least in this timeline, becoming even more impressive to Ozpin then Pyrrha was in the original. At least, I'd think so. So... does that mean he may invite Ruby to become the Fall Maiden in this timeline?**

**This is more complicated than it sounds, because I have a particular theory about Maidens and the Silver Eyes that, while probably a bit controversial, I've seen bits and pieces of elsewhere as well.**

**You see, there are a bunch of seemingly contradictory elements when it comes to what we know about the powers of the Maidens and the effect the Silver Eyes have. Salem stated at the beginning of Season 4 that ****Cinder's attainment of the Fall Maiden's powers gave her a crippling weakness to the Silver-Eyed Warriors' powers.**

**It certainly seems to be true. Ruby's Silver Eyes destroyed Cinder's left eye and left arm the first time she used them, and when they met in Haven she stopped Cinder in her tracks with just a brief flash of them, causing Cinder's flame sword to vanish and for her to cry in pain and grip her Grimm arm.**

**But it's not quite that simple. Many fans think that Cinder had the Grimm parasite that helped her draw the Fall Maiden's powers out of Amber still within her, and that is what made her vulnerable to Ruby's Silver Eyes, not the Maiden powers. They also go on to point out that Raven was in the room when Ruby used her Silver Eyes against Cinder, and she didn't react to them, which seems to point to the fact that Silver Eyes are NOT in fact something that Maidens are vulnerable. So why would Salem say they were? Is it the combination of the Grimm parasite and the Maiden powers? That seems kind of odd though. Why would gaining extra powers make Cinder MORE vulnerable?**

**So here comes my actual headcanon on the subject. The Silver Eyes are a gift from the God of Light. They are a gift of protection. As Maria tells Ruby, they work best when the user is thinking about protecting people. Maria also explains that they only work against the Grimm. But what if it's not QUITE that simple.**

**Has Maria ever fought a Maiden? I'm thinking not. Maidens are very secretive, and certainly a member of Ozpin's organization wouldn't have been out hunting down the Grim Reaper back in the day. Maria wouldn't have ever fought Salem directly, nor Ozpin. So she's NEVER fought anyone with actual magic. So she can't actually know that Silver Eyes would or wouldn't work against Maidens, or Magic, could she?**

**Salem, of course, WOULD know. She's been around for thousands of years... and without even the gaps in time Ozpin has been forced to take as he assimilates to a new host. She's been there throughout it all. She knows pretty much everything about magic.**

**Magic is a gift of the God of Darkness. He says so himself in Season 6. The God of Darkness is immune to magical attacks because it's his own power, and he can just absorb it or take it away at a whim. The Grimm are also born of the power of the God of Darkness. So, if the Silver Eyes are the counter to Grimm, which are, essentially, magical constructs created with the power of the God of Darkness, then it makes perfect sense for them to be the counter to Magic, which is ALSO created with the power of the God of Darkness.**

**Ruby's Silver eyes are essentially a weapon against things created by the God of Darkness, magic and the Grimm both. It's supposed to be a weapon to protect humans. It doesn't harm humans at all. Except, (at least, this is my theory) when they are actively wielding magic. Cinder is vulnerable to Silver Eyed warriors because of her magic... but when she's not using her magic, the Silver Eyes have nothing to strike at. So Raven, (who was Summer's teammate, and very well might have learned about this particular vulnerability) doesn't use her Maiden Powers anywhere NEAR Ruby. Coincidence? Sure, she was concealing her abilities and pretending it was Vernal who had the powers by always keeping her mask on when using the Maiden powers to conceal the eye flames. But she didn't use her powers at all until she was alone with Cinder.**

**So if Cinder was smart enough to not use her powers at all when Ruby's around, she'd be fine. Except nope... now she has a Grimm arm, and Grimm are vulnerable, so she'd, at the BEST, lose her new arm if Ruby went full power silver eyes at her. But Raven? She'll continue to avoid Ruby, and not use the powers of the Maiden around her.**

**So where does that leave us? I think it means that, while Ruby would otherwise be a great choice to make into a Maiden from Ozpin's perspective, he won't do so, because her silver eyes will be incompatible with the powers of the Maiden. Heck, the Maiden powers manifest around the eyes... that can't be a good combo.**

**That might be why he chose Pyrrha as well, to keep the Silver Eyed Warrior away from his new Maiden, not only in order to keep all his eyes in separate baskets, but to avoid Ruby accidentally harming Pyrrha as well.**

**I'm not sure if we'll find out the truth of this in the incoming season or not. But till I do know how the canon show intends to handle it, I'm not sure how I want to. Of course, my version of Ruby's Silver Eyes is something different from the Canon show. My Ruby's silver eyes can cause Ruby's memories to travel backwards in time. What's up with that, anyway? LOL.**


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter 15

Team RPBY was busy playing a four player co-op game on the Xiao-Long's home entertainment system when a sharp knocking came to the front door.

Taiyang popped out of the kitchen where he'd been preparing lunch, and waved for the girls to stay where they were. "I'll get it." He assured them, heading that way.

A pair of rather stern looking men in black suits and ties, with crisp looking white shirts and sunglasses, were there when Taiyang opened the door. The one on the right, a man with a well groomed beard and a no-nonsense expression, showed Taiyang a badge contained inside of a leather wallet. "Vale Police. Are you Taiyang Xiao-Long?"

Tai blinked, then nodded. "That's me. How can I help you officers?" Inside, the girls stopped playing as they listened in, Ruby quickly hitting the pause button to mute the sound coming from the game.

"How do you know a Mister Tuckson, owner of Tuckson's book trade?" The man asked, his voice tense.

Tai blinked again. "Tuckson is... a friend. Why do you ask?"

The other man spoke up. "Can you account for your whereabouts two nights ago? Around nine PM?"

Tai blinked again. "I was here, at home." He answered in confusion. "What's happened? Is Tuckson alright?"

The second man spoke up again, not answering the question. "Can anyone verify your whereabouts at that time?"

By now, the girls had started standing up, and Pyrrha squared her shoulders and marched forward. "Mister Xiao-Long was here, with all of us. We were having dinner about then, I believe. Tai cooked." She looked back at the others. "Isn't that right?"

Yang strode forward to Pyrrha's side. "Yeah! Dad was right here with us. What's this all about?"

Blake, on the other hand, was shrinking back from the doorway, shaking her head. "No... no..."

Ruby glanced worriedly at her girlfriend, and put a hand on her shoulder, trying to reassure her.

The police officer who'd been first to speak spoke up again. "Tuckson was found dead in his shop as of yesterday afternoon. One of his regular customers contacted us, concerned that he hadn't opened for business yet, and when we investigated, we found he'd been killed the previous evening."

The second officer was eyeing Pyrrha in confusion, as if trying to place where he'd seen her before.

"Well, Taiyang Xiao-Long has been here for the past several days, playing host to all of us." Pyrrha said calmly, stepping forward so that she now stood next to Tai. "I give you my word on that."

The second man's eyes went up to Pyrrha's ever-present tiara, then back to her face. "You're Pyrrha Nikos!" He exclaimed in astonishment.

Pyrrha nodded. "That's right. Mister Xiao-Long's daughters are members of my team at Beacon Academy. We've been here since the semester ended. With Tai."

The second cop shrugged to his bearded companion. "Sounds like a pretty good alibi to me."

The second man frowned. "Maybe. But we still have some questions. Can you tell me about your relationship with Mister Tuckson?"

Tai raised an eyebrow, then nodded. "Sure." He frowned and glanced at Ruby and the others. "But let's talk outside."

The officers nodded and followed Tai as he headed outside and closed the door behind him.

Blake collapsed onto the couch even as the door swung shut behind Tai. "No. No! They killed him! This is... this is...!"

Ruby practically fell into the couch beside her, wrapping her in a hug. "This is NOT your fault. It's not, OK?"

Blake shook her head. "But he... but he..."

Ruby leaned her head into Blake's. "Tuckson was already helping get faunus out of the White Fang before we showed up. We just helped him get them out easier. We didn't put him in any extra danger." Even as she said the words, she started to grow uncertain. Had they ended up putting him in harms way?

"We should have protected him better!" Blake protested. "I should have known... Adam... he doesn't suffer traitors lightly." Her shoulders were shaking, and tears were flowing down her cheeks. "Tuckson... Adam, how could you?"

Ruby grimaced. "We don't know it was Adam."

Blake shook her head. "He wouldn't have delegated something like that."

Ruby looked conflicted. "It could have been Torchwick? Or someone working for him?"

Blake sagged against Ruby. "It doesn't matter. We should have been there."

Ruby sighed. "I wish we had been... but we can't save everyone, Blake."

Pyrrha had come up and knelt in front of the couch. "I'm so sorry for your loss, Blake. From what you told us, he sounded like a very good person."

Blake nodded shakily. "He was. He was so brave, doing what he did. I... maybe we didn't make things worse, but... but we should have known something like this would happen. We should have protected him."

Pyrrha sighed. "How? We couldn't watch his shop every day. We had school..."

"We didn't have school two days ago." Blake said quietly. "We were here, having dinner with Bonnie and Devlin. Laughing and having fun. And he was being killed." Blake went silent for a long moment before speaking again. "We should do something." she said softly, her voice slowly rising and becoming more passionate. "We shouldn't just be sitting here waiting for the police to do something... we should go and..." She trailed off, eyes focused on the front door through which Tai and the police had gone.

"We'll do something." Ruby told her girlfriend quietly. "But we can't go to Tuckson's right now. There will be police... and they won't let us in. And we don't know how to do crime scene stuff anyway."

Blake frowned, but nodded. "I know that, but... we could... we could do something. We have to do something!"

Ruby hugged Blake, wrapping herself around the cat faunus and snuggling her face into the larger girl's neck. "We'll figure out something. We'll do something. Together. I promise."

Blake sighed, but put an arm around Ruby's back, and leaning into the smaller girl. "OK."

Yang caught Blake's eyes and nodded. "We've got your back, Blake. Anything you need."

Pyrrha smiled warmly. "Absolutely."

Blake sighed and nodded. "Thanks guys. I... I appreciate it."

Meanwhile, Ruby was wracking her brains, trying to remember what she knew. She knew the White Fang would end up in Mountain Glen. They might already be moving supplies there and getting that train ready. But knowing that and getting anyone to believe what she knew were two different things. She tried to remember how they'd found out in the first place. Blake had heard from Torchwick himself, hadn't she? When she'd infiltrated a White Fang meeting with Sun. Of course, that had ended up with Blake and Sun getting chased by Torchwick in a giant robot. They'd beaten the robot, of course, but Ruby didn't think it was wise to simply trust that Blake and Sun would be able to manage as well again, assuming things even went the same way. Torchwick was in jail, and even if he escaped again, things were almost certainly different by now. Still... Torchwick and the White Fang had stolen that robot, and a bunch of others from the Atlas Military. They'd still want them, and unless she did something to change things, it was likely that they'd manage to steal them again in this timeline. The question was, how could they stop that? Ruby didn't know how those mechs had gotten stolen in the first place, so she had no way of beating the White Fang to them, or preventing the robbery.

"Penny!" Ruby said suddenly. Blake, Yang and Pyrrha all looked at her in confusion, and Ruby covered her mouth in embarrassment.

"What about her?" Yang asked with a frown.

Ruby fought for an answer. "Er... she's from Atlas, and... the White Fang like stealing stuff from the SDC, and I thought maybe she might know... some stuff... that could help us?"

Blake blinked. "Well, it's not that I'm against the idea, Ruby, but... we don't really even know her."

Ruby licked her lips. "Well, I trust her... but I know the rest of you don't really know her that well." She put a hand behind her head. "It was just an idea."

Blake sighed. "No... we need ideas. You shouldn't hesitate to suggest something. Who knows what might end up being helpful."

Ruby smiled softly. "Well... I do have a few others. Like..." She pointed at Yang. "That guy who runs the Club you go dancing at. He's some kind of information broker, right?"

Yang blinked. "How did you know that?"

Ruby wrinkled her nose. "Um... you told me?"

Yang frowned. "I'm pretty sure I didn't."

Ruby opened her mouth, then closed it, then shrugged. "Huh."

Yang raised an eyebrow. "What?"

Ruby shrugged again, her eyes looking anywhere but her older sister. "I guess I don't remember where I heard that..."

Yang's eyes narrowed. Ruby was lying. It was obvious. And it wasn't the first time, nor the first time it was about something Ruby shouldn't have known about. But why would she lie about it?

"What's going on, Rubes?" Yang asked seriously.

Ruby shrugged again, eyes wide and innocent now. "What do you mean? I'm just trying to think of ways to help figure out..." She glanced at Blake, and sobered. "I want to know who killed Tuckson. I was the one who encouraged him to go to dad..." Ruby's face fell. "And maybe he got in trouble because of that."

Blake sighed, her own shoulders sagging further. "It wasn't just you, Ruby."

Ruby shook her head stubbornly. "I made the call. I called Dad, and your parents. I got them all involved, and... and Tuckson started getting people out of the White Fang. We made it easier, but maybe... maybe that's why he was killed."

Blake hesitated for a long moment before nodding. "I... it probably is connected."

Yang shot her an angry look, but Ruby held up a hand. "She's right, Yang. I don't like thinking that, but we... maybe we put him in greater danger because of what we did."

Blake spoke up. "He chose to do what he did, Ruby. You were right about that. And he saved lives. Lives that might not have been saved if you hadn't helped by getting him in contact with our parents. It was the right thing to do."

Pyrrha spoke up quietly. "I agree. We'll avenge his death if we can, but none of you did anything wrong. Each of you acted to do something good for this world, and neither of you have anything to be ashamed about."

Ruby growled. "I keep screwing things up! First Jaune... now Tuckson!"

Pyrrha looked shocked. "Ruby... Jaune's death was NOT your fault. You know that, right?"

Ruby looked away, unwilling to meet anyone's eyes. Jaune's death HAD been her fault. And quite possibly, without her changing things, Tuckson would be alive as well. And what good had she managed to do? She hadn't stopped the White Fang. Not yet. The twenty or so men they'd lost were only a drop in the bucket, and that alone wouldn't stop their plans from moving forward. Torchwick had been captured, again, but how long would that last? Torchwick had been able to escape from the brig of General Ironwood's battleship! Surely the police couldn't hold him for long. She had to do better!

"Yang... you can talk to Junior. Find out if he's heard anything about the White Fang or Torchwick." Ruby said quietly, eyes on the floor. "Blake... can you get into a White Fang meeting or something? Infiltrate a recruitment rally or something like that?"

Blake blinked, then looked thoughtful. "Yeah. Actually, that shouldn't be all that hard, really. I doubt they've changed their recruitment procedures all that much."

Yang raised an eyebrow. "So, we're really doing this?"

Ruby nodded firmly, looking up at Yang with determination. "Yeah we are."

Pyrrha pointed at herself. "What shall I do?"

Ruby wrinkled her nose. "I don't know yet... but going into a White Fang rally can't be very safe. So... if you were to hide nearby while Blake does her thing..." She trailed off, nodding to herself. "Actually, better if we both do that."

Yang frowned. "If it's not safe, why are you asking Blake to do it?"

Ruby blinked, then turned to Blake. "Because... it's what you'd want to do, right?"

Blake nodded immediately. "Absolutely. I would almost certainly try something similar on my own even if Ruby hadn't suggested it. I CAN'T let this go. Whomever killed Tuckson... the police won't be able to stop them."

Ruby wrinkled her nose, remembering how Torchwick had recognized Blake and Sun in the previous timeline. But she'd already considered how to deal with that problem. "Blake... before you go sneaking into White Fang meetings, you're going to need a new look."

Blake blinked. "What?"

Pyrrha looked thoughtful. "It's a good suggestion. I would assume there are people still in the White Fang who would recognize you?"

Blake frowned, and nodded. "True. I wouldn't think anyone I'd know well would be at a recruitment rally, but..."

"Better safe than sorry." Yang said, then grinned. "Sounds like this calls for a makeover!"

Blake groaned. "Oh... great..." She said sarcastically.

"Haircut?" Ruby suggested.

"Maybe some hair dye as well..." Yang agreed with a thoughtful look at Blake.

Blake winced. "Dye?"

Yang shrugged. "I've dyed my hair a couple times. Thought I'd look better as a red-head for a couple months." She looked thoughtful. "Although... I don't know if hair dye is safe on cat fur..."

Blake winced, reaching up and covering her cat ears with her hands. "I am not liking the sound of this..."

Yang smiled. "Don't worry, I'm sure we can find some dye that works on fur."

Blake lowered her hands and sighed. "I'm not getting out of this, am I?"

Ruby looked apologetic. "You don't have to go infiltrating White Fang meetings... but if you do, I'd want you to be safe. And to be safe, you should go in disguise."

Blake sighed and nodded. "It makes sense... I guess. I just... I like my hair."

Ruby smiled. "Believe me, I like your hair too! It's wonderful the way it is. But it's pretty distinctive. Between your hair and ears, I would know you from a hundred feet away, even from behind, Blake. You'll need to change them if you don't want to be recognized, even while wearing a White Fang mask."

Pyrrha blinked. "Ah! I hadn't thought of that. Of course, if you wear one of their masks, and change your hair color, no one will recognize you!"

Yang grinned. "We better change her clothing too. Blake does have this thing for black and white."

"And purple." Ruby reminded. "Guess we'll have to go clothing shopping."

Blake grimaced. "I... I can't really afford much."

Ruby put a hand on her shoulder and looked up into her eyes. "It's for a good cause. Besides, maybe I'd like buying something nice for my girlfriend?"

Blake raised an eyebrow. "Can you afford to do that?"

Ruby hesitated. She did have a little money saved up, but she'd been planning on stocking up on dust ammo and supplies for the Mountain Glenn mission. She still didn't know how she'd get limpet mines, but she wanted them. Those Paladins had been tricky, especially the one Torchwick had been driving.

Blake caught the hesitation. "You don't have to do that, Ruby."

Pyrrha spoke up softly. "I have quite a bit of money coming in, and I'd be more than happy to help out."

Blake frowned at Pyrrha. "I don't know..."

Pyrrha smiled. "I insist. After all, you will be in the greatest amount of danger. Anything I can do to lessen that risk, I will do."

Blake took a deep breath, then nodded. "Alright. One new outfit. Something completely different than what I usually wear, I guess?"

Yang grinned. "Got you covered, Kitten. We'll match your outfit to your new hairstyle. You'll look stunning, I promise."

Blake's smile was a bit weak, but it was there. "Sure. I'm in your hands, I guess."

Yang shot her a thumb's up. "You've got the Xiao-Long guarantee."

"What's that?" Taiyang asked as he came in the door. "Anything I should know about?"

Yang blinked. "Er... just talking about taking Blake out clothes shopping."

Taiyang looked confused and a bit worried. "After... er... after what's just happened?" He finished lamely.

Yang shrugged, then did her best to look serious. "Haven't you ever heard about retail therapy?"

Tai blinked. "Well... whatever helps, I suppose."

Ruby spoke up then, looking anxious. "Did they tell you anything else about what happened to Tuckson, Dad?"

Tai frowned, sobering. "Not much. Although I got the impression the police are thinking that it was done by a hunter or huntress. They wanted to know if I knew anyone Tuckson might have interacted with that had huntsman training."

Yang spoke up. "Are you going to be OK? They don't still think you could have had anything to do with it, do they?"

Tai shook his head quickly. "No, I don't think they suspect me. I was here, after all, and I think Pyrrha speaking up for me really helped solidify that."

Ruby and Yang looked at Pyrrha with sincere gratitude, and the championship fighter just blushed and put a hand behind her head sheepishly. "Well, I'm just glad I could help."

Blake had been staring at the floor, but now she looked up to catch Tai's gaze. "Mister Xaio-Long... Tai. Do... do you think they know about his connections to the White Fang?"

Tai frowned. "I'm not sure. I thought it might be best not to mention what exactly I've been helping Tuckson with... at least some of the people we've been smuggling out have almost certainly got warrants out for them somewhere, and as much as I'd like to help their investigation, I don't think spending the night in jail while they try to figure out if I'm a terrorist is the best use of anyone's time."

Blake paled. "Oh no... Mister Xiao-Long, I..."

"Call me Tai, Blake." Taiyang reminded her gently. "And don't worry about me. I was happy to be of help, and I would have gladly done it even if Ruby hadn't recruited me. I'm in no danger, regardless. As I said, I've got an ironclad alibi, and even if I didn't, I'm sure Ozpin would vouch for me."

Blake still looked troubled. "Still, the police need to know why Tuckson was... why he was killed. It has to be because of what he was doing."

Tai nodded somberly. "I'll talk to Qrow and Ozpin about it. They'll make sure that whomever needs to know finds out what direction they need to be looking. But your father would never forgive me if I got you involved in this, Blake. Let us handle things."

Blake started to protest, but Ruby squeezed her arm hard and caught her eyes, giving her a knowing nod, and Blake caught herself. "I... yes. Yes, alright."

Tai shot Blake, then Ruby, a suspicious look, while Ruby looked innocently toward the ceiling.

Yang broke in. "Don't worry Dad, I'll make sure my partner doesn't do anything stupid." She gestured at Blake. "We're going to go shopping tomorrow. Get our minds off..." she broke off with a frown. "Off of stuff."

Tai looked at his eldest daughter with a mix of pride and gratitude. "That actually sounds like a good idea, Yang. Do you need any money?"

Yang hesitated, then shrugged. "Well, if it's no trouble...?"

Tai nodded smoothly, obviously glad for the change of subject. "It's not a problem. Not having to feed your hungry gut throughout the last few months, I've managed to put away a bunch in savings. It's fine."

Pyrrha spoke up. "Why don't we all go? Shopping as a team? I'll spring for dinner at a nice restaurant."

Tai smiled at Pyrrha then. "That's very generous of you, Pyrrha. It sounds like a great idea."

Ruby gave Blake a sideways hug, and changed the subject. "Did Tuckson have any family, Blake?"

Blake shook her head. "I... I think... I think he had some family in Vacuo, but... he didn't talk about them very much."

Tai sighed. "I think I'll call Ghira. He might know more, and... he should probably know about this." Tai walked slowly from the room, heading upstairs to his bedroom, apparently wanting to make the call in private.

Ruby waited till her father was out of sight and earshot before speaking up. "So... we're going into Vale tomorrow to get Blake a disguise, right?"

Blake spoke up. "And see if we can locate a White Fang recruitment rally. I know where to look for the signs." Pyrrha and Yang looked at each other, then back to Ruby and Blake, then they both nodded.

"That's the plan." Yang agreed.

/-/

Up in their bedroom that night, Yang turned to Pyrrha as Pyrrha started getting into bed beside her. "Babe... did you tell Ruby about Junior being an information broker?"

Pyrrha blinked. "I don't believe so, no. It never really came up."

Yang frowned. "Are you sure? I mean, I wouldn't have minded if you'd mentioned it. It's not something I was keeping secret or anything, but..."

Pyrrha shrugged helplessly. "I... I don't think so, Yang. I would have remembered if I had. I had the impression that Junior's Club is one place you don't share with Ruby, and I didn't want to spoil that."

Yang frowned again. "Huh. Then how did she know?"

Pyrrha blinked. "Hmm?"

Yang shook her head. "Never mind. It's not important, I guess."

Pyrrha looked thoughtful. "Ruby always seems to be full of surprises. And she seems to know everything that's going on before anyone else does."

Yang nodded slowly. "Yeah. Especially since we got to Beacon." She looked thoughtful. "Huh. She was right outside of Junior's club after I'd... er... trashed the place the first time. Before we ever got to Beacon. It never occurred to me to wonder how she knew I'd be there?"

Pyrrha glanced over at the bedside table, where Yang's scroll was sitting. "She must have used the tracking app she asked us to put on our scrolls, right?"

Yang shrugged. "Yeah, I guess. Dad had us install those last year."

Pyrrha nodded. "Well, there you go."

Yang frowned. "But that still doesn't explain how she knew Junior is an information dealer."

Pyrrha shrugged. "Ruby has been looking for information on Roman Torchwick and the White Fang practically since we started Beacon. And she found out about that raid at the docks. She must have heard about Junior while doing that."

Yang nodded agreeably. "I guess. It's just... she keeps surprising me. What ever happened to my little baby sister who eats too many cookies and forgets to do her homework?"

Pyrrha smiled. "Everyone grows up eventually, Yang."

Yang sighed. "I know. And I'm glad that Ruby's gotten so mature. It's just... it happened so fast. It's like she changed overnight."

Pyrrha looked thoughtful. "I guess being chosen to go to Beacon two years early must have been a bit of a wake up call for her."

Yang nodded. "Yeah. And she's really stepped up. I'm so proud of her I can hardly express it. I just... I don't feel like she really needs me to look out for her anymore."

Pyrrha smiled softly. "She'll always need her older sister, Yang. She loves you."

Yang sighed. "Yeah. It's weird, seeing her growing up so quickly though. I've been... well, almost like a mother to her for so long. But nowadays, it's almost like she's the adult, taking care of me."

Pyrrha continued to smile. "I think a lot of that maturity you see in her is because of you, Yang."

Yang shook her head. "No... Ruby's gotten strong all on her own. She's going to surpass all of us at this rate."

Pyrrha nodded. "Of that, I have no doubt."

/-/

In Ruby's room, the girl in question was squirming nervously while she watched Blake get ready for bed. "Blake... I..."

Blake stopped in the middle of pulling off her top. "Yes, Ruby?" She turned to face the younger girl, dropping her top on the bed, and leaving her wearing only her bra from the waist up. She started undoing her pants. "What is it?"

Ruby frowned, not certain how to say it. "I don't want to put you in danger. You know that, right?"

Blake's face softened. "I know that."

Ruby hesitated. "I know it kind of sounded like I wasn't worried about you when I suggested you infiltrate a White Fang meeting... but..."

Blake shook her head, then sat on the bed as she laid her pants next to her top. "I wasn't offended, Ruby. You were right. That is exactly what I'd have done on my own, even if you hadn't suggested it. Actually, it's reassuring that you know me that well, and trust me to be able to take care of myself when it matters."

"I'd go myself if I could." Ruby muttered sourly. "I've been trying to think of how to pretend to be a Faunus... but..."

Blake smiled and shook her head as she reached around behind her back to undo her bra. "It's OK, Ruby. Really. I KNOW you'd rather be the one to be in danger. And I know you'll be as close as you can be, ready to leap in to save me if anything bad happens." She laid the bra on top of the rest of her clothes, then hesitated, looking torn. She wrinkled her nose. "Ruby... I..." Ruby had turned her face away, deliberately not looking at her half-naked girlfriend, and Blake smiled softly. "You can look at me you know. I don't mind."

Ruby shifted to face her, licking her lips and looking nervous and conflicted. "Um... OK?" She hesitated. She'd already gotten changed, and was wearing her usual loose tank top and sleep pants to bed. "Should I...?" Ruby tugged lightly at one of the straps of her tank top.

Blake shook her head. "Only if you want to. I... I'd like to hold you tonight, if that's alright. But you can leave your clothes on if you're not comfortable."

Ruby hesitated for a long moment before pulling her own top over her head and tossing it lightly to one side. Her blush deepened, but her eyes stayed on Blake's own. "Is it wrong, wanting to touch you like this when someone we knew... when Tuckson..."

Blake sat down and pulled up the covers to Ruby's bed, slipping under them smoothly. "Wanting to be with the person you love after a loss... to be able to feel alive, that the person you care about is safe and there... there's nothing wrong with that."

Ruby slipped off her sleep pants, then slipped into bed next to Blake. "Being held sounds pretty good right about now, actually."

Blake gave Ruby's shoulder a small nudge. "Turn on your side. I want to be the big spoon tonight."

Ruby obediently turned on her side, facing away from Blake, and sighed happily as the larger girl cuddled up against her back, laying an arm over her waist. Ruby took Blake's hand in her own and the two of them lay there in silence for a few minutes.

"Blake?" Ruby spoke quietly, although she could tell Blake was still awake.

"Yes Ruby?" Blake answered.

"Am I a good girlfriend?" Ruby asked a bit plaintively.

"The best." Blake answered calmly.

"Sometimes I don't feel like I'm a very good person." Ruby said softly.

"Why on Remnant would you think something like that?" Blake asked incredulously.

"I use people." Ruby answered. "And I manipulate them to get what I want... and... I feel like I'm causing more harm than good."

Blake reached up with her other hand to run her fingers through Ruby's hair. "Are you talking about making sure you were paired up with Pyrrha during initiation?"

Ruby blinked. "You knew about that?"

Blake chuckled softly. "All of us knew about that. Pyrrha didn't mind, you know? We've got the best team in Beacon, and a lot of that is because of you, Ruby."

Ruby sighed. "It wasn't just that."

Blake hummed softly to herself. "Want to talk about it?"

Ruby hesitated. "I used what I knew about you in order to convince you to help me against Torchwick and the White Fang." She admitted.

Blake hummed again, noncommittally. "OK."

Ruby frowned, half turning so that she could see Blake's expression out of the corner of her eye. "What do you mean, OK?"

Blake shrugged, then resumed stroking Ruby's hair. "I mean OK. You had a good reason, and you helped me in the process. I certainly can't complain about the results." Ruby kind of choked a little at that, and Blake hugged her tightly around her waist. "Ruby, I'm friends with Weiss Schnee because of you. I'm friends with all of Team Winter... and I don't have to hide who I am. I'd have ended up going after the White Fang myself even if you'd never done a thing, but the difference is, I'd have done so alone. If that's what you call using me... please... use me as much as you like." Her voice had gotten low, nearly purring at the last sentence, and Ruby started blushing dark red. Blake chuckled throatily and leaned in to kiss Ruby at the jawline, then behind her ear. "I give you permission, Ruby Rose. Manipulate me to your heart's content."

Ruby turned away from her and hid her face, groaning. "Blake!"

Blake chuckled softly, then stilled, starting to get a bit worried. "Ruby...?" She swallowed. "Sorry, I'm being pushy..."

Ruby shook her head, still looking firmly away from Blake. "No... no... or... well, I don't mind so much." She sighed. "Even if I get a little embarrassed."

Blake took a slow breath. "Well... speaking of using people... I sometimes feel like I'm taking advantage of you, you know?"

Ruby shook her head quickly. "You're not! You're really not, Blake. You've let me set the pace the whole way. I know you've been ready for more for awhile, but you've been so patient with me. I haven't felt pressured at all... expect maybe because I feel like I can barely keep myself from... doing... stuff... with you. All of the time."

Blake grinned at that. "Well, I mean what I said. You have my permission, Ruby. Anything you want to do."

Ruby shivered as her imagination raced, then forced herself to calm. "For tonight... just hold me."

Blake pulled Ruby more firmly into her body. "For tonight, and forever." She murmured.

Ruby swallowed a lump in her throat. "If I... if I start to cry out tonight..."

"I'll keep you safe." Blake promised. "Even from the nightmares."

Ruby nodded once, then let herself relax into Blake's arms. "Goodnight Blake. I love you."

"I love you too, Ruby Rose."

Ruby blushed in the darkness. Did I really say that? Did I just tell Blake that I loved her? And Blake said it back! She slowed her breathing with an effort. Calm down, Ruby... you know how you feel about her. Just... wow. Blake loves me? Wow.

Between the feeling of Blake's body pressing up against her back, skin to skin, and remembering their final words, it took a lot longer than normal for Ruby to fall asleep, but when she finally did, she was smiling.

/-/

They'd gotten into Vale around mid-morning and hit the clothing stores.

"You know, I've been thinking..." Yang said quietly as they were wandering through aisles of jeans. "Maybe we should all go for a new look? I mean, sure, Blakey needs to not get noticed, but if we're all hanging around nearby when things go down, maybe we shouldn't stand out too much either?"

Blake hummed in acknowledgement. "That's a good point. It'll depend a lot on where the meet up is going to be, though. A good disguise needs to be appropriate for the location you're going to be staking out."

Yang looked over at her partner in interest. "Sounds like the voice of experience."

Blake nodded softly. "I had to do a few infiltration missions while I was..." she glanced around once to make sure no one else was in earshot. "While I was part of the White Fang. If we're going to do this properly, I do have a few suggestions." Ruby and Pyrrha both turned to her, stopping their idle scanning of the clothing racks to pay closer attention, and Blake lowered her voice further as she continued. "I should scout for the location by myself, and in disguise. If any of you are with me when I'm doing that, people might get suspicious."

Ruby frowned. "I don't like the idea of you going alone, Blake."

Blake shook her head. "There shouldn't be any real danger while I'm just looking for the meeting site. The real risk will be when I try to infiltrate the rally. If... if Adam, or some of the stronger fighters I know are there, that's when things could get dangerous."

Yang spoke up. "OK, so once you figure out where the meeting is going down, we'll plan our own disguises?"

Blake nodded. "How you all infiltrate the area should depend on the location and time of day, yes. It might just be easiest to sneak in over the rooftops and stay out of sight entirely, depending on how out of the way it is."

Yang looked thoughtful. "Well, at the least, why don't we all pick up some simple outfits so we can at least pass for civilians?" She grinned at her girlfriend. "Might be nice to be able to not be recognized by random fight fans when we're in the city, huh Babe?"

Pyrrha chuckled. "I can't argue with that."

They moved on to a thrift store after a while. "Wherever the rally is, it's not going to be in an upscale neighborhood." Blake explained. "So at the least whatever we buy should be inexpensive, and perhaps look a bit worn."

Yang had come up with some ripped jeans and a muscle shirt with a ten year old band logo on it, but Blake vetoed it. "Yang... if you wear that, everyone who looks at you is going to see your arms..."

Yang blinked. "And that's a bad thing because..."

Blake smiled. "Because your arms look like you punch Grimm in the face for a living."

"Oh yeah..." Yang flexed one of her arms, causing her already impressive muscles to stand out further. "I guess these guns do kind of stand out a bit."

Pyrrha held up a large puffy white sweater from a nearby rack. "How about this?"

Yang grimaced. "I'm going to look like a marshmallow in that."

Blake chuckled. "Maybe, but at least you won't look like a huntress."

Pyrrha beamed at her. "I think you'll be a very cute marshmallow."

Yang sighed. "Not helping, Babe." Pyrrha's face fell slightly, and Yang waved a hand dismissively. "Nah, it's fine. The point is not to stand out, right?"

Pyrrha nodded, then blushed. "You stand out no matter what you wear, Yang. I think we'll have to work hard to make you seem... anything close to average."

Yang grinned. "Alright, quit with the flattery. You'll give me a big head."

Ruby giggled. "Because you were SO humble before!"

Yang rolled her eyes, but couldn't help but grin back at her younger sister. "Hey, I'll have you know I'm the most humble person out there." She winked. "Most modest too!"

"We should all come up with secret identities!" Ruby decided. "Like real spies!"

Yang held up the white sweater to herself, modeling it. "So... I'm a soccer mom?"

Ruby stuck out her tongue at her sister, then seemed to seriously consider it. "Actually... no. You'd never pull it off."

Yang looked almost offended. "I could too!"

Ruby hesitated, thinking of all the times her sister had acted as a kind of second mother to her, and shrugged. "A mom... maybe. But trying to be all meek and mild mannered and stuff?"

Yang raised an eyebrow. "Soccer moms can be tough..." she said a bit weakly.

Ruby chuckled. "Sure. But maybe you should try for a character that's a bit... I don't know, rougher around the edges?"

Yang blinked. "OK... like what?"

Ruby looked around, then snagged an oversized leather jacket. "Like this, maybe?"

Yang raised an eyebrow, then took the jacket. "It's a bit large for me, isn't it?"

Ruby nodded. "Yeah, it'll hide how buff you are. But maybe you can pretend your big tough boyfriend gave it to you?"

Yang chuckled. "So I'm the girlfriend of some tough guy?"

Ruby looked thoughtful. "Maybe you're in a gang?"

Yang blinked, then nodded, looking contemplative. "You mean like Gilda?"

Ruby looked surprised. "That mean girl from your class in Signal?"

Yang nodded. "We actually got along pretty well after I kicked her ass a couple of times. I think I spent enough time around her to pull it off."

As Yang and Ruby reminisced about their days at Signal while arguing about what sort of disguises they should go for, Pyrrha and Blake moved onto the next aisle. Pyrrha looked thoughtful and pulled out a nice green, button up shirt with a formal looking collar. "How about this?"

Blake blinked. "Kind of formal, isn't it?"

Pyrrha nodded. "A little. Like something someone would wear to an office, maybe?"

Blake raised an eyebrow. "Are you saying I look old enough to be a secretary or something?"

Pyrrha blushed. "Well, some men do like to hire younger women to be their secretaries... or so I've heard."

Blake looked thoughtful. "Pretending to be a civilian would enhance my cover... let's see what else we can find to match it."

In the end, they got Blake a grey pencil skirt, short grey suit jacket, nylons, grey pumps and a neat dark grey bow-tie to complete the outfit.

"We should put your hair up in a bun after we die it." Yang suggested as they were leaving the store. "Maybe get a pair of fake eyeglasses as well to complete the sexy librarian look..."

"I thought we were going for sexy secretary?" Ruby asked curiously.

"Why are all your suggestions for me to dress up as something sexy?" Blake complained.

Yang grinned. "Besides the fact that you look hot in just about anything?"

Blake blushed. "Yes, besides that."

Yang shrugged. "If the guy letting people into this secret White Fang meeting you're planning on infiltrating is thinking about asking you out afterwards, he's less likely to worry about if you might be a spy, right?"

Blake grimaced. "OK... maybe... but..." She glanced at Pyrrha. "Aren't you going to say anything about your girlfriend objectifying me?"

Pyrrha blushed slightly. "Well... I think Yang's right, actually?"

Yang grinned. "Oh? About which part? That it'd make it easier for Blake to do her mission if she looks good, or that she looks good in anything?"

Pyrrha snickered. "Yang, you're terrible."

Yang winked. "Yes, yes. So which is it?"

Pyrrha sighed, then shrugged. "Both, obviously."

Blake sighed as well. "Ruby... Yang's corrupting Pyrrha. Do something."

Ruby raised her hands into the air. "It's too late, Blake. She's too contagious. There's no hope." She giggled. "Besides, I think you'll look good in it too."

/-/

Before they reached the ferry back to Patch, Blake held up a hand. "Wait..." She glanced around cautiously, checking to see if they were being observed, even taking a moment to check the nearby rooftops, then she moved over to nod at a trio of scratches on the corner of a building. "This is a White Fang symbol. I should check this out..."

She started to reach up to remove her bow, but Ruby stopped her. "What should we do, Blake?"

Blake nodded in the direction they had been going. "Keep moving. If you hang around here too long, you'll be spotted."

Yang frowned. "You don't have your disguise yet, Blake, maybe we should wait?"

Blake shook her head. "It's still the middle of the day, at most, it'll be an individual recruiter or information cache. I'll be quick. Just... trust me, and get moving before someone sees us all standing around acting suspicious."

Ruby grimaced, then nodded. "Alright." Ruby started walking in the direction they'd been going again, gesturing for Pyrrha and Yang to follow her. "Blake's right. We can't just stand around waiting for her."

Blake smiled at Ruby as she led their teammates away, and slipped into the alleyway between the buildings.

Yang was frowning almost angrily, but kept her temper in check, and instead pulled out her scroll. Tapping on the tracking app, she selected Blake's picture and after a few moments to load, a map image of Vale popped up with a small red dot showing Blake's current location in comparison to their own.

The three girls kept walking, although slower than they'd been walking before, trying to pretend to be taking it easy.

Yang was hyper focused on her scroll, as if the red dot showing Blake's location could somehow tell her if the cat-faunus was alright or not. "Come on Blake... you said it would be quick..." Then she trailed off. "Hey... it looks like she's coming this way now."

Yang started to turn around but Pyrrha put a hand on her shoulder to keep her moving. "Perhaps we should meet her at the ferry. If whomever Blake may have met up with sees her with us, they might be suspicious."

Yang grimaced but continued walking, and before long, they reached the ferry dock. A couple minutes later, Blake joined them.

"Mission accomplished." Blake said, looking pleased. "It was a recruiter. New guy... they almost always use fresh faces for recruitment, as they won't have any criminal record if the police should pick them up. He obviously had no idea who I was, and I kept it casual."

Ruby nodded. "So... what did you find out?"

Blake wrinkled her nose. "Big recruitment meeting coming up. Friday night, two weeks from now." She sighed. "I didn't find out the exact time or location... but that's standard procedure. Still, I got enough for me to be able to find the meeting if I go out the afternoon of the day it's set for."

"We'll be back at school by then." Yang observed. "Will we be able to make it?"

Blake nodded. "It'll be late, so that faunus with day jobs can make it. We shouldn't have any trouble getting into town in time if we leave after our last class of the day."

Ruby beamed. "It sounds like we've got a plan then!"

Blake frowned. "I suppose... I just don't like waiting that long."

Yang put a hand on her shoulder. "I get it... but is there a better way to do this than infiltrating that meeting?"

Blake sighed. "Not really. I mean, I could try and find their actual base, but... that would be a lot more risky then trying to slip in among the new recruits."

Ruby nodded firmly. "Then we stick with the plan."

Blake took a deep breath, then nodded. "Right."

Pyrrha smiled reassuringly. "Well, it'll give us a chance to perfect your disguise, at least?"

Blake rolled her eyes. "Ah yes. Lots of opportunities for Yang to dress me up as a sexy librarian."

"Or sexy secretary!" Yang reminded her.

Blake groaned. "Seriously, Pyrrha, call off your girlfriend."

"You can do her hair, Pyrrha." Yang said with a grin.

Pyrrha chuckled. "How can I turn down such a gracious offer?"

Blake just sighed while Ruby patted her shoulder comfortingly.

Above them, perched on the corner of a nearby building, a black crow with red eyes looked down on the four girls with interest.

/-/

The ferry ride home was uneventful, as was the walk from the docks up to the Xaio-Long cabin. As they approached the cabin, however, Ruby's eyes brightened.

"Uncle Qrow!" The diminutive reaper shouted, racing ahead with a little burst of her semblance to latch herself onto his right arm near the shoulder. "Hi!"

"Heya Pipsqueak." Qrow greeted her affectionately, raising his arm up effortlessly so that Ruby's legs dangled off the ground. "Miss me?"

"Yeah I did!" Ruby agreed happily. "Hey!" She blinked and stared at him somewhat suspiciously, still hanging onto his arm. "What are you doing here anyway? Aren't you supposed to be on a mission for like... forever?"

Qrow shrugged, patting her head as if she was an overeager puppy. "A professional huntsman like me is expected to get results, as soon as possible."

Ruby dropped off his arm, landing on her feet and looking at him strangely. "Yeah... of course." She agreed, but there was a strange note to her voice that caused both Yang and Qrow to look at her oddly. Pyrrha and Blake glanced at each other in confusion.

Sensing that she'd been a bit too obvious with her own confusion, Ruby put on a smile. "Anyway, it's great to see you, Uncle Qrow! You have to tell us all about your mission!"

"Over dinner." Qrow said with a shrug. "Tai's already cooking." He grinned. "So, Kiddo, going to introduce me to your team?"

Ruby blinked, then grinned back. "Sure." She gestured to Yang. "Uncle Qrow, this is Yang. I'm not sure you remember who she is, but..."

Qrow bopped Ruby lightly on top of the head. "Very funny."

Yang chuckled. "It was, kind of."

Ruby grinned unrepentantly and gestured to Pyrrha. "Well, THIS is Pyrrha Nikos, my partner in Beacon, and Yang's girlfriend."

Qrow raised an eyebrow and nodded appreciatively to Yang. "Nice."

Yang grinned. "I know, right?" She then stepped forward and gestured to Blake. "And this is Blake Belladonna, my partner and Ruby's girlfriend."

Qrow's eyes widened dramatically, but both sisters could tell he wasn't actually surprised by the revelation. "What, the Pipsqueak is dating now?" He started walking towards Blake, stalking at her, exuding a palatable sense of menace towards the cat-faunus as he approached. "So, you're dating my fifteen year old niece, huh?"

Blake paled slightly, but rallied. "Um... yes. Yes sir, I am."

Qrow seemed to loom rather dramatically over Blake. "So... do I need to tell you exactly what I'll do to you if you ever hurt her... in any way?"

Blake swallowed nervously, but shook her head. "I'd die to protect her... sir. I'd never hurt her."

Qrow grinned suddenly, all sense of menace fading like a dream. "Good answer." He turned to Ruby, jerking his thumb back at Blake. "I like her." He reached back and grabbed Blake around the shoulders, pulling her toward the house effortlessly, despite Blake's obvious reluctance. "Let's talk, kitten."

Ruby quickly put herself between Qrow and the house. "No interrogating my girlfriend, Uncle Qrow. She's off limits." Ruby said the words in a low growl, obviously angry at the man.

Qrow raised an eyebrow, but took his arm away from around Blake's shoulders, lifting both hands into the air in surrender. "OK, OK... fine. I'll be good."

Blake stepped away, trying not to be noticed again, even as Yang crowded up next to her uncle as well. "What, no third degree for MY girlfriend?"

Qrow snorted, then turned to Pyrrha. "You watch out for this one, Nikos. She's a firecracker." Yang choked in exaggerated dismay at the betrayal.

Pyrrha smiled gently. "I'm well aware, sir. Thank you for the warning."

Qrow grinned back, then frowned at Pyrrha. "And don't call me sir. Call me Qrow." He glanced at Blake. "You can call me Mister Branwen."

"Uncle Qrow!" Ruby protested loudly.

"Just kidding." He said to Blake with a wink and a shrug. "Qrow's fine."

Blake forced a fake sounding chuckle and a weak smile. "OK... Qrow." Qrow's eyes flashed, and she winced, but he was already turning toward Pyrrha. "So... Tai says you nearly took him down in a spar a while back. Care to go a round with a dusty old hunter like myself?"

Pyrrha looked interested. "I heard that you trained Ruby with her scythe. I would be most interested in a spar."

Qrow grinned. "I showed the little pipsqueak everything she knows." He bragged. "Although, not everything I know..."

Ruby moved over to her uncle, elbowing him in the ribs. "No fair, Uncle Qrow, I want to spar with you first."

Qrow looked down at her fondly, then ruffled her hair. "Sure, sure kid. But tomorrow, OK? Don't want to spar right before dinner, and it'll be pretty late after that."

"You're staying the night?" Ruby asked, looking pleased.

Qrow nodded, grinning. "Thought I'd stick around for awhile, yeah." He said with a wink. "If I won't be cramping your style too much..."

Ruby actually frowned slightly at that, realizing that with Qrow here, he'd probably take the guest room, forcing her and Blake to share a room with Yang and Pyrrha again. Then she shrugged and smiled. "I don't care. It's really good to see you Uncle Qrow."

/-/

Dinner was a noisy affair, Qrow telling exaggerated, and, Ruby realized with a certain surprise, censored, stories about his various adventures as a solo huntsman.

Why was he here? Ruby had to wonder as the people around her chatted and laughed and joked. Why was Qrow here? He'd been on a mission. An extended mission that hadn't ended till after the Vital Festival had gotten underway, which was still months away! In the previous timeline, that was. But now he was here, in Patch. And he wasn't telling them something. Qrow went into a story about his most recent mission, and Ruby realized she'd heard it before. During the Vital Festival, in their dorm room, Qrow had shared much the same story... about searching for information, and the ridiculous ending about being defeated by the barmaid's skirt. Had he rehearsed it? Why the same story?

She'd never realized before how much her uncle kept from her in the past. She'd just ignored things that now she couldn't help but catch. He never really explained what he was doing, or for who, or why he was doing it. He distracted them with wild tales and salacious tidbits, often causing Yang to groan, Blake to smile, and Pyrrha to blush. But the amount of actual information he gave out ended up being next to nothing.

He wasn't supposed to be here this soon. Not that she minded his presence... much. Qrow was a reassuring person to have around. He'd trained her to use her scythe, and he was one of the strongest huntsmen she knew. But could she count on him to be there when they needed that strength? If she could get him on their side against Cinder and her team, she knew they could win. But how to do that? If she told him what they were up to, he'd tell Tai, and they'd try and stop her from going after the White Fang. If she told him absolutely everything, he'd never believe her. He'd think she was crazy, and she'd get locked up in some institution till it was too late to save anyone. And nearly all the dangerous events yet to come were still months away. How could she get him to stick around for that long?

Ruby wracked her brain during dinner, but by the time everyone was headed up to bed, she still hadn't thought of anything. After dinner, Ruby and Blake moved their stuff into Yang's room so that Qrow could have the guest room, and the four girls retired to the room together, leaving the two older men downstairs to their own devices.

/-/

After they heard the door to Yang's room close upstairs, and the sound of the four young women quietly talking faded, Qrow stood and headed for the back door, giving Tai a pointed look. Tai followed, and the two men started walking slowly down the trail that led from the Xaio-Long house into town.

When they were well out of earshot, Qrow spoke up. "They're up to something."

Tai sighed. "I thought as much. What do you know?"

Qrow frowned. "I spotted Belladonna talking to a shady looking character in a back alley. Looked like a Fang recruiter to me. I'm pretty sure that the other three knew what she was doing though. They kept clear so that she wouldn't seem suspicious, but they knew where she was and were relieved when she got back to them."

Tai nodded. "Sounds like they plan on trying to find out who killed Tuckson and doing something about it on their own."

Qrow grimaced. "Sheesh. They're worse than we were when we were in Beacon."

Tai laughed. "I wouldn't say that. Do you remember some of the scrapes you and Raven used to get into?"

Qrow chuckled wryly. "OK, fair point. Still... what are they thinking, pulling a stunt like that?"

Tai went sober, then sighed. "They've been through a lot already. Ozpin has been keeping me up to date with what Ruby's been up to... it seems like ever since she captured Roman Torchwick at that Dust store, she's been acting like it's a personal affront whenever he escapes."

Qrow raised an eyebrow. "Do you think she knows he's loose again already?"

Tai shook his head. "No... or she'd be a lot more upset. But Tuckson... Ruby talked me into helping him. Set it up so that Ghira Belladonna and I could work with the man to get faunus out of the White Fang and back to Menagerie. If she's anything like her mother, she's going to feel responsible for him getting killed."

"The Belladonna girl as well, unless I miss my guess." Qrow said tiredly. "That one has a chip on her shoulder."

Tai sighed. "Yeah. I can tell Ruby's been good for her, but she's been hurt in the past. You can see it in her eyes. She's scared, and angry."

"And you trust her around Ruby?" Qrow asked sharply.

Tai frowned. "She's a good kid. I honestly believe she means well. And I don't believe she'd ever hurt Ruby. Not intentionally."

"You thought that about Raven once too." Qrow warned.

Tai sighed. "I was in love. And I wasn't the only one. Summer was devastated when Raven left us."

Qrow closed his eyes, and sighed. "Yeah..." He pulled his hip flask out and took a swig. "We all were."

Tai glanced at the flask, but didn't say anything about it. "Blake's hurting, but she means well, I think."

Qrow raised an eyebrow. "You can say that, even knowing that she's meeting with White Fang recruiters?"

Tai looked at Qrow. "You said Ruby knew about that."

Qrow shrugged. "It LOOKED like she did, but I can't say for sure."

Tai shook his head. "No... Ruby's in on this. She's been cagey all day."

Qrow nodded. "You noticed that too, huh?"

Tai nodded. "Summer used to get the same look in her eye when she was planning something."

Qrow shrugged. "OK, so what do we do?"

Tai frowned. "I want to just tell them to stay out of it. To just... ground them to the house and watch the doors."

"Don't forget the windows." Qrow said with a grunt. "Won't work anyway."

Tai sighed. "I know. Maybe... just maybe we could keep an eye of them while they're here on Patch, but once they get back to Beacon..."

Qrow frowned. "We could have Glynda put them in detention?"

Tai laughed. "They'd mutiny."

Qrow shrugged. "Well, I can try and keep an eye on them. Oz has me back in Vale looking for Torchwick and his Fang buddies anyway. Following Belladonna might actually get me there sooner than I'd manage on my own, as much as I hate to admit it."

Tai sighed. "I don't like the idea of using my baby girl's girlfriend as a stalking horse."

Qrow shrugged. "She can handle herself, from what Oz says. And I'll be there to pull her butt out of the fire if things go south."

Tai looked mildly surprised. "Are you really going to be able to shadow them for as long as it might take?"

Qrow nodded. "Yeah. Probably. I kept running into dead ends on my mission anyway. No sign of Amber's attackers anywhere. I might have been able to track down a lead eventually, but Oz wants me on this. Torchwick and the Fang are up to something, and as much as I hate to say it, I'm thinking Belladonna might be my best lead."

Tai shook his head, looking at the sky. "The Belladonna's are good people. I don't know how I'm going to explain any of this to her parents."

Qrow shrugged. "Then don't. Leave the scullduggery to me, Tai. You're not suited for it."

Tai frowned. "I don't like lying to them. And if this goes down like I think it will, they'll hear about it."

Qrow shrugged again. "So let them think the girls pulled a fast one on you. It wouldn't be the first time."

Tai chuckled. "True. But in this case, I DO know something is going to happen. It feels like the wrong thing not to at least tell Ghira and Kali what we know."

Qrow shook his head. "They're on the other side of the world, Tai. They can't do anything from their end but worry. Better not to bring it up."

Tai grimaced, but finally nodded. "Fine. But if this goes south, I'm throwing you under the King Taijitu."

Qrow chuckled. "Fair enough. It won't be the first time some girl's parents wanted me dead."

Tai laughed at that. "You're not wrong."

* * *

**Author's Notes:**

**Sorry about the long delay between chapters. This one took me awhile. Unfortunately, I can't blame the difficulty of the chapter so much as the existence of my new VR rig. I've been having entirely too much fun instead of writing recently, which has slowed my progress down to a crawl in recent months.**

**My pace should pick up a bit now that the novelty has worn off a little, but I expect I'll continue to be slower updating then I was in the past. Nevertheless, this story will continue.**

**Are Tai and Qrow being too cool about team RPBY's plans to deal with the White Fang? Should Tai go ahead and tell Ghira and Kali what's going on? Tell me what you think in your comments.  
**


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